Jan Eliasson

Former United Nations Deputy Secretary-General

Jan Eliasson, born in 1940 in Gothenburg, Sweden, has had a distinguished diplomatic career, including serving as the 4th Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from 2012 to 2017.

He was the Swedish Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1988 to 1992 and served as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Iraq and Iran during this period. In 1992, Eliasson became the first UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, where he participated in humanitarian actions in Somalia, Sudan, Mozambique, and the Balkans and proposed initiatives on landmines, conflict prevention, and humanitarian action.

From 1994 to 2000, he was Sweden’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, playing a crucial role in shaping Sweden's foreign policy. Eliasson also served as Sweden’s Ambassador to the United States from 2000 to 2005 and was the President of the 60th United Nations General Assembly in 2005. He was appointed Sweden’s Foreign Minister in 2006 before returning to the UN as Deputy Secretary-General.