Uri Savir, one of Israel's most senior diplomats, was Israel's chief negotiator during the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, between 1993 and 1996. In his role as director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, he also negotiated with Jordan, with Syria, and in the multinational peace tracks in the Middle East. Prior to this, Savir was Israel's consul-general to New York and held various diplomatic positions in North America.

Savir is a graduate of the International Relations department of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has worked for twentyfive years beside his mentor, Israel's current president, Shimon Peres. In 1996, Peres and Savir cofounded the Peres Center for Peace. In 1999, Savir was elected to the Knesset (Israeli parliament), where he served as the chair of the Subcommittee for Foreign Relations in the Defense and Foreign Relations Committee.

In 2001, after resigning from political life, Savir established the Glocal Forum, an Italy-based nongovernmental organization dealing with intercity relations in favor of peace and development. Simultaneously, he served on the board and was acting chairman of the largest free-sheet newspaper in the world, Metro International.

He is husband to Dr. Aliza Savir, father of the author Maya Savir, and grandfather to four. He is the author of the New York Times Notable Book The Process: 1,100 Days That Changed the Middle East.