Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations

Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent Nicola Clase since 2024
Ministry for Foreign Affairs Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations
Style	His or Her Excellency (formal) Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports to	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Seat	United Nations Headquarters New York City, New York, USA
Appointer	Government of Sweden
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	1947
First holder	Herman Eriksson
Deputy	Deputy Permanent Representative
Website	www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/un-new-york/

The Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations is head of the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in New York City, United States.

History

In 1947, Sweden appointed its first permanent representative to the United Nations, Herman Eriksson  [ sv ], who had been the Swedish minister in Washington, D.C. for the previous two years. For long periods, Eriksson served as the sole Swedish delegate during the negotiations. When he later fell ill and required a lengthy period of convalescence, the Swedish government appointed him to the less demanding post of Swedish ambassador in Copenhagen. ^[1] The UN position was then taken over by Ambassador Gunnar Hägglöf, who was appointed in August 1947. ^[2]

Olof Rydbeck was appointed permanent representative in 1972. His first major task as UN ambassador was to help complete the preparations for the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. He strongly advocated for China's participation, a goal that was successfully realized when China was admitted to the UN around the same time. Rydbeck actively supported Sweden's positive stance on this sensitive issue. ^[3] Another major and controversial topic during his tenure was South Africa's apartheid policy, where his views were met with respect. ^[3] His talent for achieving compromise proved valuable when, in 1976, he became chairman of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of General Assembly, which was marked by sharp divisions between industrialized and developing countries. The highlight of Rydbeck's time as head of the Swedish UN delegation came when Sweden gained a seat on the Security Council in 1975–76. He contributed to reforms in the Council's working procedures, and Sweden's decisive "yes" vote on the question of granting the PLO the right to speak before the Council had significant political impact. ^[3]

List of permanent representatives

No.	Portrait	Ambassador	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Prime Minister	Ref.
1		Eriksson, Herman Herman Eriksson  [ sv ] (1892–1949)	17 January 1947	25 August 1947	220 days	Tage Erlander	[1]
2		Hägglöf, Gunnar Gunnar Hägglöf (1904–1994)	1947	1948	0–1 years	Tage Erlander	[4]
3		Grafström, Sven Sven Grafström  [ sv ] (1902–1955)	26 August 1948	1952	3–4 years	Tage Erlander	[5]
4		Thorsing, Oscar Oscar Thorsing  [ sv ] (1896–1967)	1952	1956	3–4 years	Tage Erlander	[6]
5		Jarring, Gunnar Gunnar Jarring (1907–2002)	1956	1958	1–2 years	Tage Erlander	[7]
6		Rössel, Agda Agda Rössel (1910–2001)	1958	1964	5–6 years	Tage Erlander	[8]
7		Åström, Sverker Sverker Åström (1915–2012)	1964	1970	5–6 years	Tage Erlander Olof Palme	[9]
-		Rydbeck, Olof Olof Rydbeck (1913–1995) Acting	10 September 1970	30 September 1972	2 years, 20 days	Olof Palme	[3]
8		Rydbeck, Olof Olof Rydbeck (1913–1995)	1 October 1972	1976	3–4 years	Olof Palme	[3]
9		Thunborg, Anders Anders Thunborg (1934–2004)	1977	1983	5–6 years	Thorbjörn Fälldin Ola Ullsten Thorbjörn Fälldin Olof Palme	[10]
10		Anders, Olof Anders Ferm (1938–2019)	1983	1988	4–5 years	Olof Palme Ingvar Carlsson	[11]
11		Eliasson, Jan Jan Eliasson (born 1940)	1988	1992	3–4 years	Ingvar Carlsson Carl Bildt	[12]
12		Osvald, Peter Peter Osvald  [ sv ] (born 1939)	1992	1997	4–5 years	Carl Bildt Ingvar Carlsson Göran Persson	[13]
13		Dahlgren, Hans Hans Dahlgren (born 1948)	1997	2000	2–3 years	Göran Persson	[14]
14		Schori, Pierre Pierre Schori (born 1938)	2000	2004	3–4 years	Göran Persson	-
15		Lidén, Anders Anders Lidén (born 1949)	2004	2010	5–6 years	Göran Persson Fredrik Reinfeldt	[15]
16		Grunditz, Mårten Mårten Grunditz  [ sv ] (1949–2015)	2010	2015	4–5 years	Fredrik Reinfeldt Stefan Löfven	-
17		Skoog, Olof Olof Skoog (born 1962)	2015	2019	3–4 years	Stefan Löfven	[16]
18		Eneström, Anna Karin Anna Karin Eneström (born 1961)	December 2019	30 September 2024	4–5 years	Stefan Löfven Magdalena Andersson Ulf Kristersson	[17] [18]
19		Clase, Nicola Nicola Clase  [ sv; no ] (born 1965)	2024	Incumbent	–	Ulf Kristersson	[19]

List of deputy permanent representatives

Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
	Strömholm, StenAmbassador Sten Strömholm (1930–1997)	1985	1989	3–4 years	[20] [21]
	Engfeldt, Lars-GöranAmbassador Lars-Göran Engfeldt (1944–2025)	1989	1993	3–4 years	[22]
	Salander, HenrikAmbassador [a] Henrik Salander  [ sv ] (born 1945)	1993	1998	4–5 years	[24]
	Norström, PerAmbassador Per Norström (born 1947)	1998	2001	2–3 years	[25]
	Eriksson Fogh, IngaAmbassador Inga Eriksson Fogh  [ sv; pl; uk ] (born 1950)	2001	2004	2–3 years	[26]
	Ström, UllaAmbassador Ulla Ström (born 1942)	2004	2008	3–4 years	[27]
	Örnéus, PerMinister Per Örneus (born 1962)	2008	2010	1–2 years	[15]
	Burgstaller, SigneAmbassador Signe Burgstaller (born 1965)	September 2010	2014	3–4 years	[28]
	Thöresson, PerAmbassador Per Thöresson  [ sv; de ] (born 1962)	2014	2016	1–2 years	[29]
	Skau, CarlAmbassador Carl Skau (born 1977)	September 2016	December 2018	1–2 years	[30]
	Eneström, Anna KarinAmbassador Anna Karin Eneström (born 1961)	2019	December 2019	–	[17]
	Lennartsson, MagnusAmbassador Magnus Lennartsson (born 1961)	March 2020	September 2023	2–3 years	[31] [32]
	Uexküll, Andreas vonAmbassador Andreas von Uexküll (born 1971)	2023	Incumbent	–	[33]

See also

• List of current permanent representatives to the United Nations
• Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in Geneva

Footnotes

1. Minister 1993–1995 and ambassador from 1995. ^[23] .

References

Notes

1. Hemming 1953, p. 410
2. "Gunnar Hägglöf ständigt ombud i Förenta nationerna" [Gunnar Hägglöf Permanent Representative to the United Nations]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 26 August 1947. p. 4A. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
3. Elgemyr 2000–2002, p. 19
4. Uddling & Paabo 1992, p.  523.
5. Boheman 1967–1969, p. 209
6. Lagerström 1966, p. 917
7. Uddling & Paabo 1992, p.  548.
8. Uddling & Paabo 1992, p.  954.
9. Uddling & Paabo 1992, p.  1234.
10. Salander Mortensen 1996, p.  1119.
11. Jönsson 2000, p.  333.
12. Jönsson 2000, p.  287.
13. Jönsson 2000, p.  888.
14. Jönsson 2000, p.  225.
15. Sveriges statskalender 2010 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. 2010. p. 203. ISBN   978-91-38-32520-9. SELIBR   11846164.
16. "Olof Skoog blir EU:s nya ambassadör till FN" [Olof Skoog becomes the EU's new ambassador to the UN] (in Swedish). Swedish UN Association. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
17. "Ny FN-ambassadör" [New UN Ambassador](PDF) (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 5 December 2019. p. 517. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
18. "Today our dear UN Ambassador Anna Karin Eneström is ending her term". Sweden at the United Nations. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025– via Instagram.
19. "Ny FN-ambassadör" [New UN Ambassador] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
20. Spiegelberg 1989, p. 383
21. Salander Mortensen 1996, p.  1061.
22. Almqvist 1993, p. 364
23. Jönsson 2000, p.  988.
24. Spiegelberg 1998, p. 197
25. Spiegelberg 2001, p. 197
26. Spiegelberg 2004, p. 193
27. Henriksson 2008, p. 203
28. "Book Talk: HAMMARSKJÖLD : A Life". United Nations Association of New York (UNA-NYC). April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2025. Ambassador Signe Burgstaller has been the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations since September 2010.
29. Skyllborg, Charlotte (26 April 2014). "Toppdiplomat får nytt prestigeuppdrag" [Top diplomat gets new prestigious assignment]. Bohusläningen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
30. "Carl Skau". LinkedIn . Retrieved 18 March 2025.
31. "MAGNUS LENNARTSSON: SWEDEN'S CANDIDATE FOR THE ACABQ 2021–2023" (PDF). www.swedenabroad.se. 2020. p. 2. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
32. "Magnus Lennartsson". LinkedIn . Retrieved 9 April 2025.
33. "Our Staff". Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations. 1 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

Print

• Almqvist, Gerd, ed. (1993). Sveriges statskalender 1993 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Allmänna. ISBN   9138128098. SELIBR   3682772.
• Boheman, Erik (1967–1969). "Sven H Grafström". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 17. National Archives of Sweden . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
• Elgemyr, Göran (2000–2002). "Olof Rydbeck". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 31. National Archives of Sweden . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
• Hemming, Sten J:r. (1953). "Gustaf Herman Eriksson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 14. National Archives of Sweden . Retrieved 17 March 2025.
• Henriksson, Maria, ed. (2008). Sveriges statskalender 2008 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. ISBN   978-91-38-32405-9. SELIBR   10900526.
• Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001[Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. ISBN   9172850426. SELIBR   8261515.
• Lagerström, Sten, ed. (1966). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1967 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1967] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. SELIBR   3681518.
• Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1989). Sveriges statskalender 1989 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Allmänna. ISBN   9138121735. SELIBR   3682768.
• Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1998). Sveriges statskalender 1998 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. ISBN   9138313111. SELIBR   3682777.
• Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2001). Sveriges statskalender 2001 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. ISBN   9138318385. SELIBR   8261601.
• Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2004). Sveriges statskalender 2004 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. ISBN   91-38-32120-3. SELIBR   89506762.
• Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997[Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. ISBN   91-1-960852-7. SELIBR   3681533.
• Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1992). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993[Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. ISBN   91-1-914072-X. SELIBR   8261513.

External links

• Permanent Mission UN, New York (in Swedish and English)