Olof Rydbeck (15 April 1913 – 23 December 1995) was a Swedish

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, head of

Sveriges Radio Sveriges Radio AB (, "Sweden's Radio") is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. Sveriges Radio is a public limited company, owned by an independent foundation, previously funded through a licensing fee, the level of which is d ...

between 1955 and 1970, Sweden's ambassador to the UN, and a Commissioner-General of

UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians displaced by the 1948 P ...

Early life

Rydbeck was born on 15 April 1913 in

Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursh ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. He was the son of bank manager Oscar Rydbeck and Signe Olsson. He married Monica Schnell in 1940.

Education

Rydbeck finished a bachelor's degree in 1934 and a master's degree in 1936 at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

Career and later life

Rydbeck served in Sweden's first mission to the UN, led by

Östen Undén Bo Östen Undén (25 August 1886 – 14 January 1974) was a Swedish academic ( J.D.), civil servant and Social Democratic politician who served as acting Prime Minister of Sweden 6–11 October 1946, following the death of Per Albin Hansson (1885 ...

. In 1952, he was appointed to the Foreign Ministry's press officer. In 1955, Rydbeck left the diplomatic service and became Director-General of

(the Swedish national broadcasting organization), a position which he held for fifteen years. In 1970 Rydbeck returned to the diplomatic service and represented Sweden at the UN in New York from 1970 to 1976. During this time he was appointed by the Secretary General to negotiate

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

's future. From 1976 to 1979, he was ambassador to the U.K. Rydbeck served as UNRWA Commissioner-General from 1979 to 1985.Benjamin N. Schiff, ''Refugees Unto the Third Generation: UN Aid to Palestinians'', (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1995), p. 293. In 1990, Olof Rydbeck published his memoirs, ''I maktens närhet. Diplomat, radiochef, FN-ämbetsman'' (''In the vicinity of power. Diplomat, radio chief, UN officer''). Rydbeck died on December 23, 1995, in

Stocksund Stocksund () is an upper class suburb in Metropolitan Stockholm, Sweden. Located immediately across the Edsviken and Stocksundet from Bergshamra, Stocksund is one of four parts of Danderyd Municipality north of Stockholm, which is the most af ...

, Sweden.

Sources

* Olof Rydbeck, ''I maktens närhet. Diplomat, radiochef, FN-ämbetsman'', Bonnier 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rydbeck, Olof UNRWA officials 1995 deaths 1913 births Permanent Representatives of Sweden to the United Nations Ambassadors of Sweden to the United Kingdom Uppsala University alumni Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Swedish officials of the United Nations

Early life

Education

Career and later life

See also

Sources

References