H.E. Olof Skoog, has been the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations since December 2019. A Swedish diplomat with extensive experience from a number of top positions worldwide, he represents both his native country and the EU as well as serving as the President of UN Security Council from January 2017 to July 2018.
He later was presented, by King Gustaf, the highest award – the King’s Medal, 12th Size with the Ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim – for his outstanding contributions to the Swedish Foreign Service, on October 12, 2021. He later flew back to New York and the next day was celebrated and honored at the home of Ranju and Ravi Batra by his friends and colleagues at the UN and UN Security Council, along with the Permanent Representatives and Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Andorra, Belarus, Bhutan, Canada, El Salvador, Eritrea, Greece, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, Romania, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, ASG Khairi, Senior Advisor to PGA76 Bavdaz-Kuret, UNSC CTED Ex Director Baroness Coninsx, and Sanction Committee Director Fitton-Brown.
The King’s Medal was created in 1814 and is awarded in a number of different sizes. It is given to both Swedish and foreign citizens for exceptional contributions. The highest Award is the 12th size, with the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim.