Vieira was born on February 15, 1952, in Niterói in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He earned a bachelor’s degree in law from the Universidade Federal Fluminense in 1973, and graduated from Instituto Rio Branco, the Brazilian diplomatic academy, before entering the diplomatic corps in 1974. He also studied English at the University of Michigan and Cambridge and French at the Université de Nancy.

 

Vieira’s political career has involved both diplomatic assignments and domestic roles back in Brazil.

 

His earlier overseas posts took him to the embassy in Washington, DC as second secretary (1978-1982); the mission to the Latin American Integration Association in Montevideo, Uruguay (1982-1985); the embassy in Mexico City, Mexico (1990-1992); and the embassy in Paris, France (1995-1999).

 

During the administration of President José Sarney in the late 1980s, he was an assistant to Minister of Science and Technology Renato Archer. In 1989 Vieira was an advisor to unsuccessful presidential candidate Ulysses Guimarães.

 

At the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations, Vieira has had several positions, including chief of staff to the secretary-general, and chief of staff to the minister of external relations. From January 2003 to May 2006, he was the representative of the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations to the board of directors of Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric power plant.

 

Vieira also has served as national secretary for management at the National Institute for Social Security in the Ministry of Social Security and Assistance.

 

Prior to being appointed ambassador to the United States, Vieira was the Brazilian ambassador to Argentina from 2004 to 2009.               

 

Curriculum Vitae (Embassy of Brazil)