Prof. Guido de Marco

Former President of the UN General Assembly, Former President of Malta

Born in 1931 in Valetta, Malta, de Marco is married to Violet née Sabila. Together they have one son, Mario and two daughters Giannella and Fiorella, all legal professionals in the family law firm, Guido de Marco & Associates.

Guido de Marco has had a long and distinguished career in global and national politics.  He was first elected to Parliament in 1966 and remained an MP until his election to President of Malta. He was Deputy Prime Minister (1987 - 1996; 1998 - 1999); Minister of the Interior and Justice (1987 - 1990); Minister of Foreign Affairs (1990 - 1996; 1998 - 1999). He was elected President of the General Assembly of the United Nations (1990 - 1991). Professor de Marco was elected President of Malta on 4th April 1999.  De Marco was appointed Chairman of the Commonwealth Foundation at the completion of his term as President of Malta in 2004.

In 1990 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice. One of his first acts was to begin Malta’s application into the European Union, stressing that Euro-Mediterranean dialogue was a basic element in creating structures to consolidate regional security and co-operation. Under de Marco's guidance as Foreign Minister, Malta consolidated its active contributions to international organizations including the UN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth.

As President of the UN General Assembly, de Marco undertook many diplomatic initiatives, including visits to refugee camps in the occupied territories, Jordan, Ethopia and Albania. He aided in the admission of the Democratic Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, and the beginning of the process for Czech Republic and Slovakia into the UN.

Prof. De Marco was educated at St. Aloysius College and the University of Malta. He graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1952, in Philosophy, Economics and Italian and in 1955 as a Doctor of Laws. Since 1967, he has been a lecturer and later a Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Malta.

Professor Guido de Marco is widely recognized as having been Malta's most prominent lawyer and human rights activist in the 1970s and 1980s.