Jan Eliasson

Jan Eliasson
Jan Eliasson at Tällberg Forum in 2009.
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 24 April 2006 – 6 October 2006
Prime Minister	Göran Persson
Preceded by	Laila Freivalds
Succeeded by	Carl Bildt
60th President of the United Nations General Assembly
In office 13 September 2005 – 11 September 2006
Preceded by	Jean Ping
Succeeded by	Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa
Ambassador of Sweden to the United States
In office 2000–2005
Preceded by	Rolf Ekéus
Succeeded by	Gunnar Lund
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In office 1994–1999
Preceded by	Lars-Åke Nilsson
Succeeded by	Hans Dahlgren
1st Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
In office 1992–1994
Succeeded by	Peter Hansen
10th Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations
In office 1988–1992
Preceded by	Anders Ferm
Succeeded by	Peter Osvald
Personal details
Born	17 September 1940 (1940-09-17) Gothenburg, Sweden
Political party	Social Democratic
Alma mater	University of Gothenburg

Jan Kenneth Eliasson (born 17 September 1940) is a Swedish diplomat and Social Democratic politician.

Biography

Jan Eliasson was born in a working-class family in Gothenburg. He was an AFS exchange student in Indiana, United States, from 1957 to 1958 and was commissioned reserve officer after military training at the Swedish Naval Academy in 1962. In 1965 he earned a master's degree in economics from the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg. He also holds honorary degrees from American University (1994), University of Gothenburg (2001) and Uppsala University (2005).

Eliasson has authored and co-authored numerous books and articles and is a frequent lecturer on foreign policy and diplomacy. Since 1988 he has been a visiting lecturer on mediation, conflict resolution and UN reform at Uppsala University.

Eliasson started his diplomatic career in 1965, when he was employed at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. From 1982 to 1983 he served as Diplomatic Advisor to the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, and from 1983 to 1987 as Director General for Political Affairs in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

From 1980 to 1986, Eliasson was part of the U.N. mission, mediating in the Iran–Iraq War. From 1988 to 1992 he served as Sweden's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, where he also served as the Secretary-General's Personal Representative on Iran/Iraq.

In 1991, Eliasson was chairman of the U.N. General Assembly's working group on emergency relief and Vice President of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) from 1991 to 1992. In 1992 he was appointed as the first U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. He was involved in operations in Somalia, Sudan, Mozambique and the Balkans. He also took initiatives on issues such as land mines, prevention and humanitarian action.

Jan Eliasson (right) meeting with George W. Bush in 2005.

From 1994 to 1999, Eliasson served as Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs. From 2000 to 2005 he served as Sweden's Ambassador to Washington, D.C., United States. On 13 June 2005 he was unanimously elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, for its sixtieth session. He served as President from 13 September 2005 to 11 September 2006.

From 24 April 2006 to 6 October 2006 he also served as Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Social Democratic cabinet of Göran Persson. Following the Swedish general election, 2006 when his party lost the election, he announced that he will teach at Uppsala University.

In December 2006, then U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced Eliasson as Special Envoy to Darfur, Sudan. He left this mission in June 2008.

Mr. Eliasson is an Eminent Member of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation and he currently sits on the advisory board of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Eliasson is also a Board member of DARA (international organization) and Chair of Water Aid Sweden. Since 2010 he serves in the UN Secretary-General's Advocates Group for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Personal life

Eliasson is married to Kerstin Eliasson, former Swedish State Secretary for Education and Science. They have three children: Anna, Emilie and Johan.

External links

• Biography at the Embassy of Sweden
• President of the sixtieth session of the United Nations General Assembly

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Anders Ferm	Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations 1988–1992	Succeeded by Peter Osvald
Preceded by None	U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator 1992–1994	Succeeded by Peter Hansen
Preceded by Lars-Åke Nilsson	State Secretary for Foreign Affairs 1994–1999	Succeeded by Hans Dahlgren
Preceded by Rolf Ekéus	Ambassador of Sweden to the United States 2000–2005	Succeeded by Gunnar Lund
Preceded by Jean Ping	President of the United Nations General Assembly 2005–2006	Succeeded by Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa
Government offices
Preceded by Laila Freivalds	Minister for Foreign Affairs 2006	Succeeded by Carl Bildt