About us

The Zelmar Michelini Foundation (ZMF), created by Zelmar’s wife, Elisa Delle Piane (1925 – 2008), and their ten children has the following governing structure:

Administrative Board of Directors
Currently includes five of Zelmar’s children (Margarita, Isabel, Cecilia, Rafael and Marcos), as well as four other members, from Uruguay and abroad, who share Zelmar’s ideals: Italo Bove, Ema Crottogini, Carlos Negreira and Louise Popkin. In addition to their prestige and diverse talents, these four individuals bring to the work of the ZMF a guarantee of transparency and political pluralism.

Honorary Advisory Board
Made up originally of four friends of Zelmar’s: writer Mario Benedetti (1920-2009), Robert Goldman (Professor of Law and co-Director, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law, American University), Thomas Hammarberg, (Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe, from 2006 to 2012) and Philippe Texier (Chairperson, United Nations Council on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights). We are fortunate to have the endorsement of these outstanding international figures.

To date, the ZMF has also benefited from the support of numerous co-founders and contributors, both individual (public figures, friends, relatives, colleagues of Zelmar’s) and institutional (Uruguayan, Latin American and international organizations). We are grateful for their assístance in this undertaking, which we envision as broadly participatory, in keeping with Zelmar’s life and beliefs,

Our Mission
To honor the memory of Zelmar Michelini, through projects which foster knowledge of his life and work, and to contribute to the ideals of peace, freedom, democracy, equality and respect for human rights.

Our Vision
Zelmar Michelini was a major figure, whose international reputation and relevance to Uruguayan society transcend the limits of his life and historical circumstances.  The ZMF takes as its own the values for which he lived and died, especially the struggle for democracy, peace and human rights.

Our Objectives
– To gather, organize, preserve and make available materials related to Zelmar’s life and thought.
– To advance the cause of human rights and increase awareness of the role of citizens in a democracy, through pluralistic reflection and dialogue about the future.
– To participate, alongside other organizations, in the struggle against impunity and on behalf of truth and justice, by seeking full disclosure and discussion regarding our recent past.

Our Areas Of Activity
– Design and creation of the “Zelmar Michelini Center,” consisting of a library, museum and archives, where documentation and other materials related to Zelmar’s life and thought will be available to researchers and to the general public.
– Creation, in collaboration with other institutions, of additional archives dedicated to the life and work of distinguished Uruguayans..
– Promotion of events and publications that deepen our understanding of the principles and values that informed Zelmar’s life and career as a public figure. Since he regarded each person as a complex, multifaceted individual, we hope these will encompass a broad range of themes and interests.
– Establishment of the “Zelmar Michelini Foundation Prize”, to be awarded to individuals or institutions for original achievements in one or more of the areas which concern the ZMF.
– Sponsorship of programs and projects for children and adolescents, aimed at strengthening democracy and contributing to the defense and exercise of human rights.
– Development of initiatives involving migrant populations, with an eye to strengthening bonds both among them and with their countries of origin; and to maximizing the benefits and minimizing the negative consequences of immigration.