F.P. Report
STOCKHOLM: The Swedish Government today appointed Stefan Löfven as the new Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board. Löfven will formally take up his position on 1 June 2022. He succeeds Ambassador Jan Eliasson in this position.
Stefan Löfven was the Prime Minister of Sweden from October 2014 to November 2021 and leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2012 to 2021.
‘I am looking forward to taking on the task and challenge as Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board. Not least in these worrying times, it is obvious that our role is even more important,’ comments Stefan Löfven. ‘We need good information and clear-headed analysis more than ever, and that is what SIPRI provides.’
Löfven’s background includes extensive experience from various domestic and international assignments. He was recently appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to co-lead a High-level Advisory Board in preparation for the 2023 Summit of the Future. He was previously the International Secretary of the Swedish trade union IF Metall and, subsequently, its Chair (2006–2012). He was also a board member of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (2006–2012), a board member of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (2010–2012), Deputy Chair of the Swedish Trade Council (2004–2012) and a board member of the Olof Palme International Centre (2002–2006).
Welcoming the appointment, SIPRI Director Dan Smith says, ‘I very much look forward to working with Stefan Löfven. It reflects our high standing that Stefan Löfven is becoming our new Chair of the board.’
‘I am proud and delighted to be passing the SIPRI torch to such a qualified and well-respected leader as Stefan Löfven,’ comments Ambassador Jan Eliasson, who will conclude his five-year term as Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board at the end of May and continue to contribute to SIPRI’s work as a Distinguished Associate Fellow.
