Federico Mayor Zaragoza died this Thursday at the age of 90, as reported by the University of Granadaof which he was rector. Mayor Zaragoza was also Minister of Education and Science during the Government of Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo and director general of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). In addition, he was vice president of the Higher Council of Scientific Research. At present it was president of the Culture of Peace Foundation.
“The great Unesco family mourns the death of Federico Mayor, Director General of the Organization from 1987 to 1999, of whose death we have just learned. Scientist, diplomat and poet, he made the culture of peace his priority, guiding the action of our Organization in favor of education for human rights and conflict prevention. I send my sincere condolences to his family and friends,” said the current director of the institution, Audrey Azoulay.
From the Culture of Peace Foundation, chaired by Mayor Zaragoza, they have described his figure as “an exceptional person whose dedication, vision and commitment leaves an indelible mark. “His legacy will live on as a source of inspiration.”
The rector of the UGR, Pedro Mercado, has highlighted “the important role that Mayor Zaragoza played as rector of our institution in absolutely transcendental moments for the management of the UGR”, and points out that Mayor Zaragoza “was a great person, a great intellectual and a scientist of great stature, who has shone in all those places inside and outside the UGR where he has carried out his work. It is that mirror in which we must always look at ourselves.”
The Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, was one of the first members of the Government to mourn the loss. He has done so in a message on his profile on the social network ‘X’, in which he highlights Mayor Zaragoza as “one of the people who worked the hardest to promote neonatal screening in our country.” “Federico Mayor Zaragoza was one of the people who worked the hardest to promote neonatal screening in our country. Right now, I was working hard to have neonatal screening recognized as a human right. Rest in peace,” Padilla writes.
Messages of condolence from institutions, personalities and citizens follow one another on social networks. “A man who always believed in the transformative power of education and equal opportunities, and a tireless fighter for peace,” wrote the Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría.
“A universal Spaniard who projected us into the world as Director General of UNESCO. His legacy for peace, culture and understanding endures and guides us,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. Rest in peace to a great person, a great public servant who gave a fundamental boost to UNESCO,” declared the former Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta.
Also from the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center they have expressed their sadness: “With great regret we say goodbye to Mr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, founder of the CBM and pillar of science. His legacy, dedication and inspiration will always guide us. We send our condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Mayor Zaragoza was born in Barcelona in 1934 and received a doctorate in Pharmacy from the Faculty of the Complutense University of Madrid. He later became rector of the University of Granada between 1968 and 1972. In 1971, he was appointed vice president of the CSIC and then held the position of acting president. He co-founded the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CBMSO).
In his political career he stood out as Undersecretary of Education and Science of the Government chaired by Carlos Arias Navarro during the Franco dictatorship. He was a member of the Spanish Parliament for UCD in the first elections and a member of the European Parliament for CDS.
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