This crowns a 28 year career in the organization that includes positions such as representative in Zimbabwe and Brazil, director of policy in the UN Development Programme, executive director of the UN Institute for Training and Research, director of the UN Staff College, and political director for Secretary General Kofi Annan. Lopes is acknowledged for his intellectual contribution to Africa’s development agenda through bold thinking and fearless interventions. Lopes holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and a master’s degree from the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.