Top Diplomat Sigrid Kaag Tapped to Co-Chair UN Foundation Board of Directors

The United Nations Foundation today announced experienced international diplomat and leader Sigrid Kaag as Co-Chair of its Board of Directors. Kaag, who succeeds Marc-André Blanchard of Canada in the role, brings extensive experience at the frontlines of peace, development, and international diplomacy to the UN Foundation at a critical juncture for the United Nations and international affairs.

“Sigrid Kaag is the right leader at the right time to co-chair the UN Foundation’s Board of Directors,” said UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner. “Her strategic vision, distinguished track record, and practical expertise will be invaluable as we work to reinvigorate international cooperation for the 21^st century.”

“It is no secret that multilateralism is on the back foot just when we need it the most. Sigrid will bring tough, imaginative, and clear-eyed leadership to our mission, and a rare breadth of experience across the range of collective challenges we face, from peace and security to climate change and development,” added UN Foundation President and CEO Elizabeth Cousens.

Ms. Kaag has decades of experience in public service at the highest levels. In her home country of the Netherlands, she served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance — the first woman to hold that post — and previously held the roles of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

“This is a defining moment for the United Nations and international cooperation. I’m honored to help lead the UN Foundation as it embarks on its critical next chapter working with friends and partners around the world to reimagine multilateralism for the future, and ensure we have an international system that can truly deliver for people and planet in challenging times,” said Ms. Kaag.

Ms. Kaag has held top posts in the United Nations, serving in an array of strategic roles, including most recently as the Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. She previously also served as Special Coordinator for Lebanon, head of the UN mission on chemical weapons in Syria, Assistant Secretary-General at the United Nations Development Programme, and Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Ms. Kaag joins the UN Foundation Board of Directors, which includes the following global leaders:

• Ted Turner (USA) — Founder and Chair of the Board, UN Foundation; Chairman, Turner Enterprises; Founder, CNN
• Elizabeth Cousens (USA) — President & CEO, UN Foundation
• Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah (Jordan) — Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Chair, Jordan River Foundation
• Valerie Amos (UK) — Master, University College Oxford
• Fábio Colletti Barbosa (Brazil) — Chairman of the Board, Natura &Co
• Kathy Calvin (USA) — Former President and CEO, UN Foundation
• Julio Frenk (Mexico) — Chancellor, University of California, Los Angeles
• Charles O. Holiday (USA) — Chair, Global Federation of Councils on Competitiveness
• Naoko Ishii (Japan) — Special Presidential Envoy for Global Commons, University of Tokyo; Professor and Director of the Center for Global Commons
• Frannie Léautier (Tanzania) — Senior Partner, Southbridge Group
• Susana Malcorra (Argentina) — President and Co-Founder, GWL Voices
• Mark Malloch-Brown (UK) — Former Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
• N.R. Narayana Murthy (India) — Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Limited
• Laura Turner Seydel (USA) — Director, Turner Foundation; Chair Emeritus, Captain Planet Foundation
• Marti G. Subrahmanyam (India) — Charles E. Merrill Professor of Finance and Economics, Stern School of Business at New York University; Global Network Professor of Finance at NYU Shanghai
• Timothy E. Wirth (USA) — Former United States Senator; Founding President, UN Foundation

About The UN Foundation
The United Nations Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale for over 25 years. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org