Prof. Dr. Luís de Almeida Sampaio

Ambassador Luís de Almeida Sampaio is a distinguished Portuguese diplomat with more than four decades of international experience on international security, development cooperation, European affairs, and health diplomacy. A graduate in Law from the University of Coimbra, entered the diplomatic service in 1983 and has held senior diplomatic positions across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and international organizations. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff to NATO Secretary General from 1990 to 1992. From 1995 to 1998, he was Diplomatic Adviser to Portuguese European Commissioner, later served as NATO political and diplomatic adviser to the International Peace Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, before becoming Minister-Counsellor at the Portuguese Embassy in Luanda from 1999 to 2002. He was President of the Portuguese Development Cooperation Institute (IPAD) from 2002 to 2004 and Ambassador of Portugal in Algiers from 2004 to 2008. In 2007, he was the Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP). He served as Ambassador of Portugal in Belgrade, with accreditation to North Macedonia and Montenegro, from 2008 to 2012, and as Ambassador in Berlin from 2012 to 2015, where he was awarded the Portuguese Prize for “Best Ambassador of the Year” and authored Diplomacy in Times of Financial Crisis, reflecting his engagement with international relations and contemporary diplomatic challenges. From 2015 to 2019, he served as Ambassador Permanent Representative to NATO, followed by his appointment as Ambassador of Portugal in Prague from 2019 to 2024. Ambassador Sampaio has a strong focus on health diplomacy, international cooperation, and the intersection of health and foreign policy. He is the President of Coimbra Health and as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Health Summit Academic Alliance. He is Ambassador of Forum Health XXI, as well as a Visiting Professor and Alumni Ambassador of the University of Coimbra. He participated in hundreds of international meetings and conferences and has published numerous articles on health diplomacy, political science, and international relations. His extensive experience across diplomatic, multilateral, development, security, and health spheres has positioned him as a prominent voice on the role of diplomacy in addressing global challenges.