José Ramos-Horta – President of East Timor
Welcome to East Timor, the 21st Century’s first new sovereign state, whose president, José Ramos-Horta, also happens to be the first Nobel Laureate to join World Leaders in Their Underpants.
He picked up the prestigious peace gong in 1996, along with Bishop Ximenes Belo, in recognition of their efforts on behalf of an oppressed people, whose territory was then occupied by Indonesia. He has since been a regular speaker at Peacejam, a conference at which Nobel Peace Laureates address young people in order to inspire a future generation of leaders. In so doing, he is also helping inspire future generations of World Leaders in Their Underpants, and for this we should be grateful.
However, it’s not all medals and underpants heading the modern state. In 2008, José Ramos-Horta narrowly survived an assassination attempt, like so many who have joined World Leaders in Their Underpants before him. We hope he will be an inspiration to some of the more hawkish leaders he will meet there. Watch out Ban Ki-moon, José’s after your job as Secretary General of the United Nations.
