Fernando Henrique Cardoso was President of Brazil between 1995 and 2002, and currently serves as president of the Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso (São Paulo, Brazil) and honorary president of the Party of the Brazilian Social Democracy (PSDB).

Cardoso was deeply involved in Brazil’s struggle for democracy to overcome the authoritarian military regime (1964-1985). Elected Senator in 1982, he was a founding member of the Party of the Social Democracy (PSDB). He served as Minister of Foreign Relations in 1992/93 and Minister of Finance in 1993/94. Cardoso also was co-president of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy. He has served as president of the Independent Commission on Aids and the Law, and as a member of the council of Global Leaders for Reproductive Health. Cardoso’s main works in English include The Accidental President of Brazil (2006, with B. Winter), Charting a New Course: The Politics of Globalization and Social Transformation (2001, M.Font editor) and Dependency and Development in Latin America (with E. Faletto, 1979). A sociologist trained at the University of São Paulo, from the late 1960s he emerged as one of the most influential intellectuals in Latin America.

Cardoso is a founding member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, where he has also served as Chair of its Steering Committee (2011 – 2016) and is also member of the (regional) Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy (LACDD).