Sven Alkalaj (; born 11 November 1948) is a Bosnian and Herzegovinian
diplomat and the current
Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations. He also served as the country's
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
from 2007 until 2012. Alkalaj held the post of executive secretary of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and i ...
between 2012 and 2014 as well.
He served as the first
Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassdor to the United States during the 1990s. Alkalaj is one of the most prominent
Bosnian Jews
The history of Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina spans from the arrival of the first Bosnian Jews as a result of the Spanish Inquisition to the survival of the Bosnian Jews through the Holocaust and the Yugoslav Wars. Judaism and the Jewish com ...
of
Sephardic origin and is a longtime member of the
Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Stranka za Bosnu i Hercegovinu) is a Bosniak nationalist political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The party fervently opposed the continued power in hands of ethnic entities such as the Federation of ...
(SBiH).
Early life and education
Alkalaj was born to a
Sephardic Jewish father and a
Bosnian Croat Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
mother.
The Alkalaj are a prominent
Bosnian Jewish family, who settled in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
up to five hundreds of years ago when they fled the
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...
.
He was raised Jewish.
Alkalaj graduated in
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...
from the
University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest ...
in 1974. He returned to the university and in 1987 earned a degree in international relations and economics, with a focus on Latin America.
[
In 2016, he was awarded a PhD in International Relations and International Law by the ]University of Travnik
University of Travnik ( Bosnian: Univerzitet u Travniku, UNT) is a private university located in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The university was established in 2007. The motto of the university is— "Science to Success".
Courses
The univers ...
, with a dissertation on the "Policy of the United Nations Security Council in the Process of International Recognition and Peace-Building in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–2010)".[
]
Managerial career
From 1975 until 1985, Alkalaj worked at Petrolinvest as a commercial manager in Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
. He would later work at Energoinvest
Energoinvest (full name: Energoinvest, d.d. - Sarajevo) is a multidisciplinary engineering and energy company with headquarters in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
History
Energoinvest was established as a small design office under the name of ...
, firstly as a regional manager for the Middle and Far East in Sarajevo from 1985 until 1988, and then as a managing director in Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
from 1988 until 1994.[BiH Mission to the UN]
CV
Diplomatic career
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia and the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, from 23 June 1994 until 14 June 2000, Alkalaj served as the first Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United States in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, also accredited to the Organization of American States from 2000 to 2003.[ In 1999, Alkalaj also attended the Executive Development Program and Corporate Finance Program of ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
's Graduate School of Business Administration.[
From 2004 until 2007, Alkalaj was posted in ]Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
as the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and the Head of Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
(NATO).[
From 11 January 2007 until 12 January 2012, Alkalaj served as ]Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
in the first
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and second cabinets of Nikola Špirić
Nikola Špirić (, ; born 4 September 1956) is a Bosnian Serb politician who was the 7th Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 11 January 2007 until 12 January 2012.
He was also the Minister of Finance and Treasury ...
, representing the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Stranka za Bosnu i Hercegovinu) is a Bosniak nationalist political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The party fervently opposed the continued power in hands of ethnic entities such as the Federation of ...
(SBiH), then led by Haris Silajdžić
Haris Silajdžić (; born 1 October 1945) is a Bosnian politician and academic who served as the 5th Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2006 to 2010. He was the 3rd Prime Minister of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzeg ...
. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkalaj was criticised and even his resignation was demanded in 2007 after it was published in Bosnian media that he had taken Croatian citizenship
The Croatian nationality law dates back from June 26, 1991, with amendments on May 8, 1992, October 28, 2011, and January 1, 2020, and an interpretation of the Constitutional Court in 1993. It is based upon the Constitution of Croatia (Chapter II ...
in 2006. Alkalaj, who received citizenship based on belonging to the Croat people (Art 16 of the Croatian Citizenship Law) was criticised by ''Slobodna Bosna
''Slobodna Bosna'' (; English: ''Free Bosnia'') was an investigative weekly news magazine based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in August 1995 as a print edition and in 2000 an online edition started to exist. The print edit ...
'' for allegedly using the citizenship to avoid paying taxes for an estate located in Slano.
He was later charged by prosecutors in a case before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina :''This article refers to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a domestic court which includes international judges and prosecutors and a section for war crimes; it should not be confused with the separate International Criminal Tribunal for the For ...
with misconduct in his office as Minister of Foreign Affairs, related to his "signing off on a cash award of 13,418.59 KM to his then deputy Ana Trišić-Babić for her work at the Council of Ministers NATO coordination team."
From 8 March 2012 to 8 April 2014, Alkalaj was the executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and i ...
(UNECE) in Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
.
He also served as a visiting professor at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations between 2015 and 2019, as well as an assistant professor at the University of Travnik
University of Travnik ( Bosnian: Univerzitet u Travniku, UNT) is a private university located in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The university was established in 2007. The motto of the university is— "Science to Success".
Courses
The univers ...
from 2016 until 2017.[
On 5 July 2019, Alkalaj was appointed by Bosnian Presidency member ]Željko Komšić
Željko Komšić (; born 20 January 1964) is a Bosnian politician and diplomat who is the 6th and current Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is also its current chairman, since 2021. Previously, he was a member of the na ...
as a Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.[New Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina Presents Credentials]
5 July 2019 Alkalaj on many occasions proceeded to vote in the General Assembly of United Nations contrary to the position of the Bosnian & Herzegovinian Presidency.
Footnotes
References
News sites
*
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alkalaj, Sven
1948 births
Living people
Diplomats from Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sephardi Jews
Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Croatian descent
Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Spanish descent
Naturalized citizens of Croatia
People of Spanish-Jewish descent
University of Sarajevo alumni
Heads of Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to NATO
Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians
Foreign ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ambassadors of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United States
Permanent Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations