Cecilia Julin (born 25 March 1955) is a Swedish diplomat became the ambassador to South Africa from 2016 to 2020, Spain from 2011 to 2016, and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

from 2003 to 2006.

Education

Julin pursued a master's degree in economics at

Stockholm University Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...

Diplomatic career

Julin began her diplomatic career in 1984 and has held postings in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, Israel, and the United States. She has also held positions in the

trade policy A commercial policy (also referred to as a trade policy or international trade policy) is a government's policy governing international trade. Commercial policy is an all encompassing term that is used to cover topics which involve international t ...

and regional divisions for the Americas. From 2006 to 2011, she served as the Minister of Trade and European Union's chief of cabinet; head of the department of

Press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a famil ...

and

Communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

s on 20 February 2009; and spokeswoman for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

Spain

Julin was appointed in September 2011, as Sweden's ambassador to Spain and

non-resident ambassador Dual accreditation is the practice in diplomacy of a country granting two separate responsibilities to a single diplomat. One prominent form of dual accreditation is for a diplomat to serve as the ambassador to two countries concurrently. For exampl ...

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

. In January 2012, she would arrive in Madrid. In Madrid on 10 January,

King Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

welcomed her, to the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

. "My husband Anders and I are going to miss Spain, a wonderful country, very much, and, in particular,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, an unknown jewel that I always recommend

Swedish people Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries ...

to visit," declared the Swedish Ambassador, who would continue to represent her nation in South Africa. She has largely succeeded in achieving this, as seen by the 29% rise in Swedish visitors to Madrid in 2015.

South Africa

Julin has been named ambassador to

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

by the Swedish government on 2 June 2016. Later in September, she would begin her new job. She paid ACCORD House a visit on 6 June 2017. She arrived in South Africa in 2016 to assume the role of new Swedish ambassador.

Billy Modise Billy Modise was an African National Congress (ANC) veteran and former ambassador. He was born on 18 December 1930 in Bloemfontein and died on 20 June 2018. Early life Billy Modise was born on 8 December 1930 in Bloemfontein, Orange Free Stat ...

received the Order of the Polar Star on 16 November 2017, from Julin. This honour was awarded by

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Du ...

. On 2 December 2019, the Goal Tracker portal for South Africa has been opened by Julin, and Risenga Maluleke. With the help of the Goal Tracker project, citizens and decision-makers can monitor the

SDGs The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

' progress and pinpoint areas that need immediate attention.

Honours

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

(GYC; 13 January 2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Julin, Cecilia 1955 births Living people Ambassadors of Sweden to Slovakia Ambassadors of Sweden to Spain Ambassadors of Sweden to South Africa Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Swedish women diplomats Swedish women ambassadors Stockholm University alumni People from Stockholm