Krister Kumlin

Krister Kumlin
Born
Ralf Krister Sten Wilhelm Kumlin

(1938-12-02) 2 December 1938
Stockholm, Sweden
Alma materStockholm University College
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1962–2012
Spouse(s)
Gunilla Molander
​
(m. 1962)​

Ewa Axelson
​
(m. 1981)​
Children5, including Mikaela
RelativesSten Dehlgren (grandfather)

Ralf Krister Sten Wilhelm Kumlin (born 2 December 1938) is a Swedish diplomat who served in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from 1962 until his retirement in 2012. Over the course of his career, he held postings in Washington, D.C., Guatemala City, Bangkok, and Paris, and served in senior positions at the ministry in Stockholm. In 1982, he was appointed minister at Sweden's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City and later served as vice president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. He was ambassador to Brasília (1986–1990), ambassador to Athens (from 1993), and ambassador to Tokyo (1997–2002), with concurrent accreditation to the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.

After returning to Stockholm, he served at the Prime Minister's Office, was appointed Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in 2005, and acted as senior adviser to the Swedish Emergency Management Agency until 2012. He also chaired several cultural and international committees and contributed to the establishment of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology.

Early life

Kumlin was born on 2 December 1938 in Oscar Parish in Stockholm, Sweden,[1] the son of Ambassador Ragnar Kumlin (1897–1979) and his wife Hervor (née Dehlgren).[2] His paternal grandfather was the agronomist and agricultural reformer Wilhelm Kumlin (1859–1940), and his maternal grandfather was Sten Dehlgren (1881–1947), editor-in-chief of Dagens Nyheter.

He received a Candidate of Law degree from Stockholm University College in 1962.[2]

Career

Kumlin was appointed attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1962 and was posted to Washington, D.C., in 1963. He became embassy secretary in Guatemala City in 1965 and administrative officer (kanslisekreterare) at the ministry in 1967. In 1971, he was appointed first embassy secretary in Bangkok, followed by a posting to Paris in 1974, where he became embassy counsellor in 1977. He returned to the ministry in 1978 as deputy director (kansliråd).[2]

In 1982, he was appointed minister at Sweden's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City, and in 1985 he served as vice president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. He was ambassador to Brasília from 1986 to 1990, after which he returned to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as press director in 1990.[2] In 1993, he was appointed ambassador to Athens,[2] and from 1997 to 2002 he served as ambassador to Tokyo, with dual accreditation to the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.[3]

After returning to Stockholm, Kumlin worked at the Prime Minister's Office (Statsrådsberedningen), where he served as secretary-general of the Stockholm International Forum.[4] He was executive secretary of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council Security Forum in Åre on 24–25 May 2005.[5] In September 2005, he was appointed Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps (Introduktör av främmande sändebud) and later served as chargé d'affaires ad interim in Paris in 2007. Between 2005 and his retirement in 2012, he was senior adviser to the Swedish Emergency Management Agency (Krisberedskapsmyndigheten).[4]

Kumlin chaired the Swedish Parthenon Committee,[4] the Swedish Committee for the Return of the Parthenon Marbles (part of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures),[6] the Friends' Association of the Swedish Institute at Athens (Föreningen Svenska Atheninstitutets Vänner),[7] and ISO/TC 223 (Societal Security) from 2006 to 2012.[8]

He also played a key facilitating role in the early stages of the process that led to the establishment of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, first awarded in 2006, helping to open the door for discussions that would eventually result in the creation of the prize.[9]

Personal life

In 1962, Kumlin married Gunilla Molander[2] (later Bristedt).[10] Kumlin has three children with his first wife: Ambassador Mikaela Kumlin Granit (born 1967), Alexandra Kumlin (born 1969), and the fashion model Kristina Kumlin (born 1973).

In 1981, he married cultural counsellor Ewa Axelson (born 1955), daughter of the forest ranger Swen Axelson and the home economics teacher Märta (née Johansson).[2] They had two sons: Fredrik (born 1984) and Philip (born 1986).[11][12][10]

Bibliography

  • Kumlin, Krister; Kjellström, Björn; Bergström, Niklas, eds. (1991). Sverige och den västeuropeiska integrationen: vem informerar om vad? (in Swedish) (New updated ed.). Stockholm: Utrikesdep. ISBN 9138107384. SELIBR 7263776.

References

  1. ^ Sveriges befolkning 1990 (in Swedish). Ramsele: Svensk arkivinformation (SVAR), Riksarkivet. 2011. ISBN 9789188366917. SELIBR 12076919.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 636. ISBN 9172850426. SELIBR 8261515.
  3. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2002). Sveriges statskalender 2002 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. pp. 183, 187–188. ISBN 9138319519. SELIBR 8428312.
  4. ^ a b c "H.E. Krister Kumlin: "The return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens is a question of moral principle"". Greek News Agenda. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Press invitation. Ahead of the EAPC Security Forum in Åre, 24-25 May 2005" (Press release). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 11 May 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Cultural Affairs". Embassy of Greece, Stockholm. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  7. ^ Kumlin, Krister (4 September 2012). "Sommaren har i mycket präglats av OS i London" [The summer has been largely characterized by the Olympics in London]. Hellenika (in Swedish) (3). Stockholm: Föreningen Svenska Atheninstitutets vänner. SELIBR 8261641. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Krister Kumlin". Interpeace. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  9. ^ "The prize". Stockholm Prize in Criminology. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  10. ^ a b Hultman, Barbro, ed. (14 August 1989). "Hemmastadd i två världar" [At home in two worlds]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. (15)17. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Födda" [Newborns]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 25 February 1984. p. 20. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Födda" [Newborns]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 4 June 1986. p. (18)16. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
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