Press Release : International IDEA Board Announces New Secretary-General

Press Release

International IDEA Board Announces New Secretary-General

Ambassador Karen Fogg

Press release for download (Acrobat format)

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Stockholm -- The Board of Directors of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) announced today that Ambassador Karen Fogg has been appointed unanimously as the new Secretary-General of the Stockholm-based intergovernmental organization.

Ambassador Fogg, a British national, presently serves as Head of the European Community Representation in Turkey. She has previously served as EU Ambassador to Romania, and with PHARE, the EU's Central and Eastern Europe assistance agency.

"We are very pleased to appoint Ambassador Karen Fogg as our new Secretary-General," said Chairman of the Board of International IDEA, Mr Thorvald Stoltenberg. "The Board was unanimous in its selection of Ambassador Fogg among a field of excellent candidates - We are convinced she will provide the leadership and experience necessary to meet the many complex challenges facing International IDEA."

The new Secretary-General takes over at a time of recent change and transformation at International IDEA, founded in 1995. The first Secretary-General and founder of International IDEA, Mr. Bengt Säve-Söderbergh, stepped down in mid-April after serving seven years, and the organization, which promotes democracy world-wide, has recently undergone a significant restructuring.

During her assignments with the European Union, Ambassador Fogg was known for her expertise on democracy and governance assistance issues. Ambassador Fogg is expected to start work at the Stromsborg headquarters of International IDEA this August. International IDEA now has 19 member states and four international NGOs as associate members.

A copy of Ambassador Fogg's biography is available upon request.

For more information contact:

Karin-Lis Svarre, Director of Information
Tel: +46 8 698 3704, Mobile: +46 70 429 3704

Paul Risley, Senior Information Officer
Tel: +46 8 698 3722, Mobile: +46 70 4293722

Mark Salter, Senior Information Officer
Tel: +46 8 698 3714, Mobile: +46 70 429 3714

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) exists to nurture, sustain and promote democracy around the world. Global in membership and scope, independent of specific national interests, and quick in its response, International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization with a unique mandate - to support the growth of genuine, sustainable democracy.