ÅR
Åsa Regnér
UNESCO
Deputy Director-General
Biography
Åsa Charlotte Regnér, from Sweden, was appointed Deputy Director-General of UNESCO on 2 March 2026.
Prior to this appointment, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Sweden from 2023 to 2026, where she oversaw both national and international programmes, including humanitarian assistance to children. During this period, she was also a member of the Global Management Committee of Save the Children International.
In 2018, Ms. Regnér was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women in New York, United States, where she led policy, programs and intergovernmental affairs, including strategic partnerships.
From 2014 to 2018, she served as Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality in the Government of Sweden. In this capacity, she advanced national policies on gender equality and the prevention of violence against women. She was also responsible for children’s wellbeing and rights, gender equality and social services policy, legislation and national budget, as well as for international high-level representation and communication.
She subsequently served as Country Director for UN Women in Bolivia from 2011 to 2014, where she oversaw, recruitment, partnership and government relations building, resource mobilization, program and policies shaping, planning, budget and results.
Ms. Regnér assumed the function of the Chief Executive Officer of Swedish International Planned Parenthood (RFSU from 2007 to 2011), where she was overall responsible for policies, programs and advocacy nationally and globally.
Earlier in her career, she was Director of Planning at the Ministry of Justice in Sweden (2005–2007) and Political Adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office (1997–2005).
Ms. Regnér began her career advocating for women’s rights as a volunteer with a Swedish Non-Governmental Organization in La Paz, Bolivia (1990–1991), before joining the Ministry of Labor of Sweden.
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