Elinor Jane Britt Hammarskjöld (born 4 November 1967)Government of Sweden, Curriculum Vitae, Elinor Hammarskjöld
Retrieved 11 February 2025. is a Swedish lawyer and diplomat who has served as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for

Legal Affairs ''Legal Affairs'' was an American legal magazine that was launched under the auspices of Yale Law School, and which later became an independent non-profit venture with an educational mission. As the first general-interest legal magazine, ''Legal A ...

and United Nations Legal Counsel since 2025.United Nations press release SG/A/2335, "Secretary-General Appoints Elinor Hammarskjöld of Sweden Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel"
23 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.

Family and education

A member of the

Hammarskjöld family The Hammarskjöld family, also known as Hammarskiöld family, is a Swedish noble family, enrolled in ''Riddarhuset'' (English: " House of Nobility") with the number of 135. Background The founder of the family was Peder Mikaelsson (c. 1560–1646 ...

, she was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, in 1967 to the diplomat Peder Hammarskjöld (1923−1994) and Elizabeth Richardson (born 1928). Her grandfather, the diplomat Åke Hammarskjöld, was an older brother of the

United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

Dag Hammarskjöld Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld (English: ,; 29 July 1905 – 18 September 1961) was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second secretary-general of the United Nations from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in Septe ...

, and her great-grandfather

Hjalmar Hammarskjöld Knut Hjalmar Leonard Hammarskjöld (; 4 February 1862 – 12 October 1953) was a Swedish politician and scholar who served as the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917. He was a member of the Riksdag from 1923 to 1938 in the first chamber ...

was

Prime Minister of Sweden The prime minister of Sweden (, "minister of state") is the head of government of the Sweden, Kingdom of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are subject to th ...

from 1914 to 1917. Hammarskjöld studied French and literature at

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, 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, social ...

and later obtained

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

s in international law from the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

and the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Career

Hammarskjöld joined the

Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral rela ...

in 1994, serving in various capacities in Sweden and abroad, including as ambassador to Israel from 2010 to 2013. In 2025 she was appointed United Nations Under-Secretary-General for

, succeeding Miguel de Serpa Soares of Portugal.Stockholm Centre for International Law and Justice, "Elinor Hammarskjöld is the second Swedish lawyer appointed UN Legal Counsel"
3 February 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammarskjold, Elinor 1967 births Living people Hammarskjöld family Stockholm University alumni Uppsala University alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Swedish women ambassadors Swedish women lawyers Ambassadors of Sweden to Israel 21st-century Swedish diplomats Under-secretaries-general of the United Nations Swedish officials of the United Nations