Annika Söder

Annika Söder in 2016

Karin Annika Bjurner Söder (born 1955) is a Swedish diplomat and politician representing the Swedish Social Democratic Party. From 2014 to 2019, she served as Sweden's State Secretary for Foreign Affairs.[1] In February 2020, she was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to collaborate with a UN group on peace building[2] and in January 2021, she was engaged by OSCE chair Ann Linde as her special representative for the South Caucasus.[3] On 18 January 2023, with ministerial backing from Germany and Sweden, she became a member of the International Commission on Inclusive Peace.[4]

Early life

Born on 22 June 1955, Karin Annika Bjurner Söder is the daughter of the politician Gunnar Söder [] and Karin Söder, Minister for Foreign Affairs 1976–1978. She lives in Stockholm and is married to the diplomat Anders Bjurner [sv].[5] From 1974 to 1976, she attended the Stockholm School of Journalism, specializing in French language and law at the university level.[6]

Career

From 1976 to 1982, Söder worked as a journalist for Sveriges Radio. In 1983, she joined the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs where she served as ambassador from 1996. Over the years, she has had responsibilities as a spokesperson for the ministry and has held positions on security policy and EU and UN issues. In particular, she has worked as a foreign policy advisor to prime ministers and ministers and has served as state secretary for international development.[3] After a period as executive director of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation in Uppsala, from 2014 to 2019 she was state secretary for foreign affairs,[7] where she coordinated work on conflict resolution in connection with North Korea, Venezuela, and Yemen.[3]

In February 2020, Söder was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to collaborate with a UN group on peace building[2] and in January 2021, she was engaged by OSCE chair Ann Linde as her special representative for the South Caucasus.[3] On 18 January 2023, with ministerial backing from Germany and Sweden, she became a member of the International Commission on Inclusive Peace.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Annika Söder ny kabinettsekreterare" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagsbladet. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Annika Söder utsedd att bistå FN:s generalsekreterare i översynen av FN:s fredsbyggande verksamhet" (in Swedish). Regeringskansliet. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Annika Söder". FBA. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b "New 'Peacemaking Covenant' offers path to lasting peace at a moment of heightened conflict". Relief Web. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Annika Bjurner Söder" (in Swedish). Ratsit. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Annika Söder" (in Swedish). Regeringskansliet. October 1914. Archived from the original on 2016-09-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Amb. Annika Söder". Center on International Cooperation. Retrieved 24 January 2023.