Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Permanent Representative of Sweden to the OECD
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent Helena Sångeland since 24 August 2023
Ministry for Foreign Affairs Delegation of Sweden to the OECD
Style	His or Her Excellency (formal) Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports to	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Seat	Embassy of Sweden, Paris 17 rue Barbet-de-Jouy, 75007 Paris, France
Appointer	Government of Sweden
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	1949
First holder	Erik von Sydow
Website	www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/oecd-unesco/

The Permanent Representative of Sweden to the OECD heads the Delegation of Sweden to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. The permanent representative, a diplomat with the rank of ambassador, also serves as the Permanent Delegate of Sweden to UNESCO and heads the Delegation of Sweden to UNESCO, also located in Paris.

History

In 1948, 18 European countries, including Sweden, formed the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) to administer the Marshall Plan. On 22 April 1949, during a council meeting, First Secretary Erik von Sydow [sv] was appointed as an additional trade counselor at the Swedish legation in Paris, assigned to Sweden's delegation to the OEEC.^[1] This made him the first head of the Swedish delegation.^[2]

In 1953, the head of the delegation was granted the title of minister with the appointment of Ingemar Hägglöf [sv].^[3] On 6 November 1953, it was decided that the head of Sweden's OEEC delegation in Paris would also serve as the country's permanent representative to the Council of Europe.^[4] In February 1957, this combined role was revised when Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt was appointed as Sweden's permanent representative to the Council of Europe, succeeding Ingemar Hägglöf, who from then on served solely as the head of the OEEC delegation.^[5] From June of that year, the head of the delegation held the title of ambassador instead of minister.^[6] On 30 September 1961, the OECD officially replaced the OEEC.

Since 1965, Sweden's Permanent Representative to the OECD has also served as the country's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO in Paris.^[7]

Tasks

OECD

The Swedish permanent representative, a diplomat with the rank of ambassador, heads the Swedish delegation and represents Sweden in the OECD Council, which is the highest decision-making body.^[8] The Swedish delegation's mission is to represent Sweden in the OECD and its affiliated organizations, including the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), and the International Transport Forum (ITF). It advocates for Swedish interests and provides reports on the organization's activities in areas relevant to Sweden. Key priorities include economic analysis, trade, energy, development issues, and gender equality.^[9]

UNESCO

The Swedish permanent representative to the OECD also serves as the Swedish permanent delegate to UNESCO. The ambassador heads the Swedish delegation which represents Sweden in UNESCO, advocating for Swedish priorities such as human rights, education, freedom of speech, and journalist safety. Its work includes attending meetings, negotiating, and collaborating with the EU and Nordic delegations. The team, comprising diplomats and local staff, works closely with the Swedish government, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO (Svenska Unescorådet).^[10]

List of permanent representatives

No.	Portrait	Ambassador[a]	Took office	Left office	Time in office	OECD Secretary-General	Ref.
Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC)
1		Sydow, Erik vonErik von Sydow (1912–1997)	1949	1953	3–4 years	Robert Marjolin	[2]
2		Hägglöf, IngemarIngemar Hägglöf (1912–1995)	1953	30 September 1961	7–8 years	Robert Marjolin René Sergent Thorkil Kristensen	[2]
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
2		Hägglöf, IngemarIngemar Hägglöf (1912–1995)	30 September 1961	1963	1–2 years	Thorkil Kristensen	[2]
3		Platen, Carl Henrik vonCarl Henrik von Platen (1913–1995)	1964	1972	7–8 years	Thorkil Kristensen Emiel van Lennep	[2]
4		Belfrage, LeifLeif Belfrage (1910–1990)	1972	1976	3–4 years	Emiel van Lennep	[2]
5		Colliander, HansHans Colliander (1924–2013)	1976	1985	8–9 years	Emiel van Lennep Jean-Claude Paye	[2]
6		Kjellén, BoBo Kjellén (1933–2024)	1985	1991	5–6 years	Jean-Claude Paye	[2]
7		Sohlman, StaffanStaffan Sohlman (1937–2017)	1991	1995	3–4 years	Jean-Claude Paye	[2]
8		Ferm, AndersAnders Ferm (1938–2019)	1995	2003	7–8 years	Jean-Claude Paye Don Johnston	[2]
9		Andersson, Gun-BrittGun-Britt Andersson (born 1942)	2003	2007	3–4 years	Don Johnston José Ángel Gurría	[2]
10		Ringborg, MatsMats Ringborg (born 1945)	2007	2011	3–4 years	José Ángel Gurría	[2]
11		Ahnlid, AndersAnders Ahnlid (born 1960)	2011	2013	1–2 years	José Ángel Gurría	[2]
12		Markovic, AnnikaAnnika Markovic (born 1964)	February 2014	2018	3–4 years	José Ángel Gurría	[11]
13		Brandt, AnnaAnna Brandt (born 1961)	1 September 2018	2023	4–5 years	José Ángel Gurría Mathias Cormann	[12]
14		Sångeland, HelenaHelena Sångeland (born 1961)	24 August 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 276 days	Mathias Cormann	[13][14]

Footnotes

1. The head held the title of commercial counselor from 1949 to 1953, the title of minister from 1953 to 1957, and the title of ambassador since 1957.

References

1. "Hammarskjöld efterträder Beck-Friis" [Hammarskjöld succeeds Beck-Friis]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 23 April 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
2. "Sveriges OECD-ambassadörer" [Sweden's OECD ambassadors] (in Swedish). Delegation of Sweden to the OECD and UNESCO. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
3. "Utnämningar inom diplomatien" [Diplomatic appointments]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 13 August 1953. p. 4A. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
4. "Minister Ingemar Hägglöf". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 7 November 1953. p. 4A. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
5. "Envoyén K.-G. Lagerfeldt" [Envoy K.-G. Lagerfeldt]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 23 February 1957. p. 4A. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
6. "Utnämningar inom UD" [Appointments within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 28 June 1957. p. 4A. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
7. Sveriges statskalender 1966 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1966. p. 300.
8. "About the Delegation". Delegation of Sweden to the OECD and UNESCO. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
9. "Sweden & the OECD". Delegation of Sweden to the OECD and UNESCO. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
10. "Sweden and UNESCO". Delegation of Sweden to the OECD and UNESCO. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
11. "Ny chef för Sveriges delegation vid OECD och Unesco i Paris" [New head of Sweden's delegation to OECD and UNESCO in Paris] (in Swedish). Swedish National Commission for UNESCO. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
12. "Ny chef för Sveriges delegation vid OECD och Unesco i Paris" [New head of Sweden's delegation to OECD and UNESCO in Paris] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
13. "Helena Sångeland ny chef för Sveriges delegation vid OECD och Unesco i Paris" [Helena Sångeland new head of Sweden's delegation to OECD and UNESCO in Paris] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
14. "Ambassador Helena Sångeland". OECD. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

External links

• Sweden's Delegation to the OECD and UNESCO, Paris (in Swedish, English, and French)