Annika Söder

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]

• Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria (25 September 1997)^[8]