President of Timor-Leste, overwhelmingly elected in May 2022 for a five-year mandate (2022-2027). He was previously President from 2007-2012. In between Mr Ramos-Horta was Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Guinea-Bissau 2013-2014). And in 2014-2016 he was Chair of the High-Level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations.

Born in Dili, Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta, was sent to the Catholic boarding school of Soibada, the oldest in the country, completing high school in Dili. He pursued University and postgraduate studies in the 80s in the US, UK, France and Holland.

At age 25 Ramos-Horta was appointed Minister for External Relations following the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1975. Three days before the Indonesian invasion of the country on 7th December 1975 he left for New York and in the following 24 years, Ramos-Horta was the international advocate of the Timorese resistance at the United Nations, US, Europe, Australia, etc.

In December 1996 J. Ramos-Horta shared the Nobel Peace Prize with his compatriot Bishop Carlos F. X. Belo.

From 2001 to 2006 he was a Senior Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister in 2006-2007, and President from 2007 to 2012.