Francisco Santos Calderón
Former Ambassador of Colombia to the United States
His Excellency Francisco Santos Calderón is a Colombian politician, human rights advocate, and journalist. He was elected Vice President of the Republic of Colombia in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. As Vice President, Santos led Colombia’s international promotion of trade, investment, and tourism, and promoted policies to combat corruption, extortion, and kidnapping. He also served as Colombian Ambassador to the United States from September 2018 until July 2021.
In 1990, Santos was kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel. He was released after eight months in captivity and went on to become an effective advocate for human rights in Colombia, creating the world’s first NGO dedicated to fighting kidnapping, Fundación País Libre (Free Country Foundation). Santos promoted the Anti-Kidnapping Statute, the only law enacted by public petition via signature collection in Colombia. He is also an outspoken advocate for democracy and civic engagement in Latin America and is the founder of Fundación Confianza Colombia (Trust Colombia Foundation).
Santos has held several editorial positions at major newspapers in Colombia and Spain. He completed studies at the University of Kansas at Lawrence and at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a degree in Journalism and Latin American Studies. He also completed a prestigious fellowship at Harvard University.
