Francisco José Lloreda Mera

Francisco José Lloreda Mera (born 13 November 1965) is a Colombian lawyer, politician, writer, editor and newspaper director. He is serving as High Presidential Advisor for Coexistence and Citizen Security in the Administration of President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón. He previously served the government as Ambassador of Colombia to the Netherlands and as Minister of National Education of Colombia.

He has been a writer, editor, and director of the newspaper El País, founded in 1949 by his paternal grandfather Álvaro Lloreda Caicedo and great-uncles. His grandfather was director of El Pais for 25 years, followed by his father.

Early life and education Francisco José and his fraternal twin brother Rodrigo were born on 13 November 1965 he was taken to New York City where he underwent chemotherapy and received a hip replacement at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Early career Lloreda started working at his family's newspaper, El Pais in Cali, Colombia, and became active in politics. He has moved between positions with the family newspaper, in government, starting at the local level; and academia. His variety of positions have given him experience in numerous leadership roles.

He was Private Secretary (or assistant) to the Mayor of Bogotá in 1988-1989. Lloreda held the position of Executive Director for the Colombian Federation of Local Governments from 1989 to 1991. They have two children together: Camilo (b. 2004) and Andrea (b. 2007).

Career

Minister of Education In 2000 at the age of 35, Lloreda was appointed by President Andrés Pastrana Arango as Minister of National Education replacing Germán Bula Escobar who had been with Pastrana since 1998. He was sworn in as the 77th Minister of National Education on 18 July 2000 by President Pastrana at a ceremony at the Palace of Nariño. He served in Pastrana's Cabinet until the end of his term on 7 August 2002.

In 2005 and 2006 he was Director of the Public Policy Observatory and simultaneously held the position of Professor at the Universidad Icesi in Cali, Colombia. He served again at El Pais as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2007.

Ambassadorship Lloreda was sworn in as ambassador on 9 May 2008 by President Álvaro Uribe Vélez at the Palace of Nariño, and presented his Letters of Credence in a ceremony to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on 2 July at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. He served in this position until 2010.

Being dually accredited, Lloreda had earlier presented his credentials as Permanent Representative of Colombia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague on Friday 6 June to Director General of the OPCW Rogelio Pfirter. Ex officio, he was also Representative of Colombia to the Assembly of State Parties to the International Criminal Court, the Administrative Council of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the Common Fund for Commodities.

Presidential Advisor On 4 November 2010, while Lloreda was still serving as ambassador to the Netherlands, President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón appointed him as High Presidential Advisor for Coexistence and Citizen Security, a new cabinet-level position aimed at reducing crime in cities and its causes.

Works