Yuriko Backes

Luxembourg

Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity

Biography

Yuriko Backes is Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity, Minister of Defence, and Minister for Mobility and Public Works of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. She has served in these roles since November 2023. A career diplomat, Ms Backes has extensive experience in international relations, European affairs, and public administration. She began her career at Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in 1994 and held a number of diplomatic postings, including assignments at Luxembourg’s Permanent Representations to the United Nations and the European Union, as well as at the Embassy of Luxembourg in Japan. Between 2010 and 2016, she served as Diplomatic Adviser and Sherpa to Luxembourg Prime Ministers Jean-Claude Juncker and Xavier Bettel. She subsequently served as Head of the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg and later as Marshal of the Grand Ducal Court. In January 2022, she joined the Luxembourg Government as Minister of Finance before assuming her current ministerial responsibilities in 2023.