| Alfonso Valdivieso | |
| Office: | Senator of Colombia |
| Term Start: | 20 July 2008 |
| Term End: | 20 July 2010 |
| Term Start2: | 20 July 1986 |
| Term End2: | 1 February 1992 |
| Order3: | 24th |
| Office3: | Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations |
| Term Start3: | 18 September 1998 |
| Term End3: | 14 January 2003 |
| President3: | Andrés Pastrana |
| Predecessor3: | Julio Londoño |
| Successor3: | María Ángela Holguín |
| Order4: | 2nd |
| Office4: | Attorney General of Colombia |
| Term Start4: | 17 August 1994 |
| Term End4: | 8 May 1997 |
| Nominator4: | César Gaviria |
| Predecessor4: | Gustavo de Greiff |
| Successor4: | Alfonso Gómez Méndez |
| Ambassador From5: | Colombia |
| Country5: | Israel |
| Term Start5: | 1 February 1992 |
| Term End5: | 20 March 1993 |
| President5: | César Gaviria |
| Successor5: | Patricio Samper |
| Office6: | Minister of National Education |
| Term Start6: | 16 August 1990 |
| Term End6: | 16 November 1991 |
| President6: | Virgilio Barco Vargas |
| Predecessor6: | Manuel Becerra |
| Successor6: | Carlos Holmes Trujillo |
| Office7: | Member of the Chamber of Representatives |
| Term Start7: | 20 July 1982 |
| Term End7: | 20 July 1986 |
| Constituency7: | Santander |
| Bierh Name: | Alfonso Valdivieso Sarmiento |
| Birth Date: | 2 October 1949 |
| Birth Place: | Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia |
| Nationality: | Colombian |
| Party: | Radical Change (2006-present) |
| Otherparty: | Liberal New Liberalism |
| Spouse: | Marta Cecilia León (1983-present) |
| Children: | Sergio Valdivieso Camilo Valdivieso |
| Relations: | Luis Carlos Galán (cousin) |
| Alma Mater: | Pontifical Xavierian University (LLB) Boston University (MA) |
| Profession: | Lawyer, Economist |
Alfonso Valdivieso Sarmiento (born 2 October 1949)[1] is a Colombian lawyer and politician.
Alfonso Sarmiento was born in Bucaramanga, Santander to Roberto Valdivieso Serrano and Mercedes Sarmiento Suárez.[2] He attended Divino Niño school and San Pedro Claver school. After graduating from Instituto Tecnológico Santandereano, he moved to Bogotá. He attended Pontifical Xavierian University where he graduated in Law with a concentration in Socio-Political Sciences. Afterwards he moved to the United States where he received a Master of Arts in Global Development Economics (MA GDE) from Boston University, and advanced studies in Urban and Regional Development at Toronto University.[3] [4]
He is the cousin of the late liberal leader Luis Carlos Galán, who was assassinated when he was 39 years old and relative of politicians Juan Manuel Galán, Carlos Fernando Galán and, Claudio Galán.
As the 2nd Attorney General of Colombia, he brought charges and stood against the administration of Ernesto Samper Pizano during the Proceso 8000. He served as the 24th Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations and as Ambassador of Colombia to Israel. A Radical Change party politician, he was elected Representative and Senator in the Congress of Colombia, and served as Minister of National Education under the administration of Virgilio Barco Vargas.[5]