Honorary President of the Institute for Public Affairs
Martin Bútora, presently an Honorary President of the Institute for Public Affairs and Program Director of 'European Integration and Transatlantic Relations' Program. In the past he has worked as a university teacher, diplomat, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the United States (1999-2003). Mr. Bútora is a graduate of the Faculty of Arts of the Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, holding a degree in sociology. In the late sixties, he was active as an editor-in-chief of student newspapers "Echo bratislavských vysokoškolákov" [Echo of Bratislava's University Students] and later as a deputy-chief editor of Reflex magazine and the weekly publication "Kultúrny život" [Cultural Life]. In November 1989, Mr. Bútora was one of the founders of the political movement Public Against Violence. In the spring of 1990, as a member of its Coordinating Committee (KC VPN) he took part in crafting Movement's election program - Chance for Slovakia. In the period of 1990- 1992 he held a position of a Human Rights Advisor to the President of Czech and Slovak Federal Republic Václav Havel, and the post of Director of the Human Rights Section in the Office of the President. In the beginning of the nineties, he taught at Charles University in Prague (where he holds a position of Professor Habilis since 1992); later he taught at the Department of Political Science, Trnava University (1993 - 1998). In 1997 he co-founded the Institute for Public Affairs and served as its first president. Mr. Bútora is an author of three prosaic works, several TV programs and film scripts, and translations of theatrical plays. In 1999 National Endowment for Democracy based in Washington D.C. has awarded him Democracy Service Medal; in 2000 he received Ján Papánek medal; and in 2002 a Celebration of Freedom Award by the American Jewish Committee. In the same year, he received the Order of Ľudovít Štúr for his contribution to defense of human rights and development of civil society from the hands of the President of the Slovak Republic.
