Mr. Anders B. Johnsson was the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary General for four mandates, from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 2014.
Before serving as IPU Secretary General, Mr. Johnsson directed the development of IPU’s program to strengthen parliaments and promote democracy. Prior to joining the IPU in 1991, he worked for more than 15 years in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where he held senior positions in Honduras, Pakistan, Sudan and Viet Nam, as well as at UNHCR Headquarters where he was Senior Legal Adviser to the High Commissioner.
Mr. Johnsson has devoted his entire professional life to international cooperation and multilateral diplomacy. He is an expert in international law and politics, democracy, human rights, gender equality issues and parliamentary diplomacy. He is the author of several papers and articles and is frequently invited to speak on these subjects.
Born in 1948 in Lund, Sweden, Mr. Johnsson – who is fluent in English, French and Spanish – obtained a Bachelor of Law degree at Lund University, studied European law and integration in Bruges, Belgium, and took a Master of Comparative Law degree at New York University.