Amb. Maria Leissner

Ambassador Maria Leissner is a prominent Swedish diplomat and former political leader, with decades of experience advancing democracy, governance, and human rights across diverse international contexts. She serves on the Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation's (NCCT) Board of Advisors as Chairperson of NCCT's Council on Peace and Democracy, supporting the Center's work on democratic resilience, inclusive institutions, and sustainable peace.

Ambassador Leissner began her public leadership career within Sweden's Liberal movement, serving as Federal Secretary of the People's Party Youth League (1981–1983) and later as its Federal Chairman (1983–1985). In 1985, she worked as an organisational secretary for Rädda Barnen (Save the Children Sweden). She went on to serve as a Member of the Swedish Parliament (1985–1991) for the Liberal People's Party, and became the party's leader in 1995, marking a historic milestone in Swedish political life.

She also held key civil society leadership roles as Chair of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (1991–1995) and Chair of the Women Can Foundation – Stiftelsen Kvinnor kan (1993–1995).

Within Sweden's diplomatic service, Ambassador Leissner served as Swedish Ambassador in Guatemala City (2000–2004), with additional accreditations in Belize (Belmopan), Costa Rica (San José), El Salvador (San Salvador), and Honduras (Tegucigalpa). In January 2007, she was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Democracy, and in April 2012, she took up the position of Secretary-General of the Community of Democracies, a leading international platform dedicated to strengthening democratic governance worldwide.

From October 2017, Ambassador Leissner served as Stockholm-based Ambassador of Sweden to Benin, and between 2017 and 2021, she was additionally accredited to The Gambia, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

Through her role at NCCT, Ambassador Leissner brings exceptional strategic insight and global diplomatic experience to strengthening the critical link between democracy, accountable governance, and conflict transformation.