United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Bjørg Sandkjær of Norway as Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Ms. Sandkjær has over 26 years of experience in policymaking and international development. She served as Deputy Minister for International Development at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2021. Sandkjær was responsible for the development of Norway’s strategic vision and engagement in international development cooperation issues.
ODA and sustainable development
Furthermore, she played a key role in the negotiations on Norway’s budgetary allocations for official development assistance (ODA). She also lead her country’s engagement in key sustainable development processes and fora, including the high-level political forum on sustainable development.
Ms. Sandkjær also served as the deputy leader of the Standing Committee on Health and Welfare of the Oslo City Council and held several positions at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Church of Norway.
Ms. Sandkjær holds a master’s degree in demography from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an undergraduate degree from the University of Oslo. She is fluent in English and Norwegian.
