H.E. Heinz Fischer was Federal President of the Republic of Austria from 2004 to 2016. He studied law at the University of Vienna, earning a doctorate in 1961. Upon graduation, he pursued an academic and political career and finally became a professor of Political Science at the University of Innsbruck. From 1963 to 1971, Heinz Fischer served as a legal assistant to the Vice President of the Austrian Parliament. From 1971 to 2004, he was a member of the Austrian parliament and from 1975 to 1983 Executive Chairman of the Social Democratic Party in the Austrian Parliament. He served as Minister of Science of the Republic of Austria from 1983 to 1987 and as President of the Austrian Parliament from 1990 to 2002. Between 1992 and 2004, Heinz Fischer was also Deputy Chairman of the Party of European Social Democrats (PES). From 1995 to 2002 he was President of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for NAZI victims.

In April 2004, Mr. Fischer was elected Federal President of the Republic of Austria as a candidate of the Social Democratic Party with 52.4% of the vote. In April 2010, he was re-elected, winning a second six-term with almost 79% of the votes. After two terms as President and more than 40 years in public office, Mr. Fischer retired in July 2016 as Head of State. Since 2016, Heinz Fischer has been the President of the Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres and the Austrian Society for Chinese Studies. He is the President of the Board of the Institute for Human Science and Co-Chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. From 2017 to 2018, he chaired the Chumir Foundation’s World Commission on Forced Displacement.