Speaker Information

Opening Session

Bjorn Olof Skoog

  • EU Special Representative for Human Rights

    Congratulatory Remarks

    Olof Skoog was appointed EU Special Representative for Human Rights on March 1, 2024. He is a Swedish diplomat with extensive experience from a number of top positions worldwide, representing both Sweden and the European Union. Most recently he was EU Ambassador to the UN in New York. He established durable partnerships among the UN membership in support of effective multilateralism, the UN Charter, respect for human rights and promoting sustainable peace and development.

    He has been Director-General for Political Affairs in the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has represented Sweden at the European Union and at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). He has also been Swedish Ambassador to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. He has served the United Nations as Executive Assistant to Dr. Hans Blix in the verification of WMDs in Iraq. With the European Union, Ambassador Skoog served as the first Permanent Chair of the EU Political and Security Committee, coordinating the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. He then represented the EU as Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei, also accredited to ASEAN.

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