Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in Geneva

The Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva is the head of the Permanent Mission of Sweden in Geneva^[a] (Swedish: Sveriges ständiga representation vid de internationella organisationerna i Genève) which represents Sweden at the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent Magnus Hellgren since 2024
Ministry for Foreign Affairs Permanent Mission of Sweden in Geneva
Style	His or Her Excellency (formal) Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports to	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Seat	Rue de Lausanne 82 CH-1211 Geneva 20 Switzerland
Appointer	Government of Sweden
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	1 April 1952
First holder	Torsten Björck
Website	www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/un-geneva/

History

Torsten Björck [sv; de], acting first secretary at the Swedish legation in Bern, was appointed to serve in Geneva from 1 April 1952, until further notice as the Swedish delegate for international cooperation matters.^[6] This made him the first head of the Swedish presence in Geneva, which over the years came to be known by several different names.^[b]

Tasks

Sweden's Permanent Mission in Geneva is led by the head of mission, an official with the diplomatic rank of ambassador who serves as the permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations. The deputy head of mission represents Sweden at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The mission also includes eleven officials seconded from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, along with eight locally employed staff. Its work is primarily divided into five areas: international trade; international humanitarian affairs, refugee issues, and migration; disarmament and non-proliferation efforts; human rights; and global health.^[13]

List of permanent representatives

Name	Period	Title	Notes	Ref
Permanent Delegation of Sweden for International Cooperation (1952–1955)
Torsten Björck	1 April 1952 – 1955	First legation secretary		[6][7]
Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Office of the United Nations (1955–1963)
Per Bertil Kollberg	1955–1959	First secretary		[14]
Carl Henrik von Platen	1959–1963	Ambassador[c]		[15]
Permanent Delegation of Sweden to the International Organizations in Geneva (1963–1993)
Erik von Sydow	1964–1972	Ambassador		[16]
Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt	1972–1975	Ambassador		[17]
Carl De Geer	1975–1979	Ambassador		[18]
Hans Ewerlöf	1980–1986	Ambassador		[19]
Lars Anell	1986–1992	Ambassador		[20]
Arnold Willén	1992–1993	Ambassador		[11]
Permanent Representation of Sweden to the International Organizations in Geneva (1994–present)
Lars Norberg	1993–1998	Ambassador		[21]
Johan Molander	1998–2003	Ambassador		[22]
Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier	2003–2007	Ambassador		[23]
Hans Dahlgren	2007–2010	Ambassador	Presented credentials on 3 September 2007.	[24][25]
Jan Knutsson	2010–2015	Ambassador	Presented credentials on 8 September 2010.	[26]
Veronika Bard Bringéus	2015–2020	Ambassador	Presented credentials on 3 September 2015.	[27][28]
Anna Jardfelt	September 2020 – 2024	Ambassador	Presented credentials on 1 September 2020.	[29][30]
Magnus Hellgren	2024–present	Ambassador	Presented credentials on 19 August 2024.	[31][32]

See also

• Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations

Footnotes

1. The Swedish representation goes by several different names:

   • Permanent Mission of Sweden in Geneva^[1]
   • Permanent Mission of Sweden, Geneva^[2]
   • Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations^[3]
   • Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva^[4]
   • Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva^[5]
2. The Swedish presence in Geneva has gone under several different names over the years:

   • 1952–1955: Permanent Delegation of Sweden for International Cooperation (Swedish: Sveriges ständiga delegation for internationellt samarbete).^[7]
   • 1956–1963: Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Office of the United Nations (Swedish: Sveriges ständiga representation vid Förenta Nationernas Europakontor; French: Représentation permanente de la Suède auprès de l'Office européen des Nations Unies).^[8][9]
   • 1964–1993: Permanent Delegation of Sweden to the International Organizations in Geneva (Swedish: Sveriges ständiga delegation hos/vid de internationella organisationerna i Genève; French: Délégation Permanente de la Suède auprès des Organisations Internationales à Genève)^[10][11]
   • 1994–present: Permanent Representation of Sweden to the International Organizations in Geneva (Swedish: Sveriges ständiga representation vid de internationella organisationerna i Genève; French: Mission Permanente de la Suède auprès de l'office des Nations Unies et des autres organisations, internationales à Genève).^[12]
3. Envoy 1959–1960, Ambassador 1960–1963.