Lone Dencker Wisborg

Her Excellency
Lone Dencker Wisborg
R. gcYC
Lone Dencker Wisborg in 2021.
Permanent Representative of Denmark to NATO
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 September 2022
Monarchs
Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen
Preceded byLiselotte Plesner
Ambassador of Denmark to the United States
In office
8 April 2019 – 1 September 2022
MonarchMargrethe II
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Prime MinisterLars Løkke Rasmussen
Mette Frederiksen
Preceded byLars Gert Lose
Succeeded byChristina Markus Lassen
Ambassador of Denmark to Spain
In office
September 2011 – August 2015
MonarchMargrethe II
Prime MinisterHelle Thorning-Schmidt
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Succeeded byJohn Nielsen
Personal details
Born (1966-01-31) 31 January 1966 (age 58)
Brønderslev, Denmark
Residence(s)Bruxelles, Belgium
Alma materAarhus University

Lone Dencker Wisborg (born 31 January 1966) is a Danish diplomat, lawyer and civil servant. She is the current Permanent Representative of Denmark to NATO, having previously served as Ambassador of Denmark to the United States, from 2019 to 2022, the first woman to hold that position.

Early life and education

Lone Dencker Wisborg was born on 31 January 1966 in Brønderslev, Denmark.[1] She grew up in Brønderslev in Northern Jutland, with her mother, father and an older brother four years her senior.[2]

In 1991, she obtained a Master of Laws (cand.jur) degree from Aarhus University.[1]

Diplomatic career

Wisborg in 2013, during a meeting with Spanish Defence Minister, María Dolores de Cospedal, together with the other ambassadors from the Nordic countries.

Wisborg began her diplomatic career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992 as Head of Section with responsibility for development assistance, assistance to Eastern Europe and international law, a post she held until 1995. She was then assigned to the Danish Embassy in Estonia as First Secretary, from 1995 to 1998. Thereafter, she worked as Head of the International Department and Secretary to the Defence Committee at the Danish Parliament, and subsequently served as Private Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2001 to 2003, and then posted as Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Danish Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, from 2004 to 2006. She had a brief interlude as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Bikuben Foundation, before becoming Head of the Department of Security Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2009. From 2009 to 2011, she was Under-Secretary for Global Security.[3][4]

In 2011, Wisborg assumed her first ambassadorial appointment, becoming the Ambassador of Denmark to the Kingdom of Spain. During her time as ambassador, Wisborg advocated for e.g. increased agricultural support for impoverished Spanish regions at EU-level, modernization of the European Union, ⁣renewable energy transition and environmental awareness.[5] She served concurrently as Denmark's responsible diplomat to Andorra and was simultaneously side-accredited in Algeria.[6][7]

She was recalled to Denmark in 2015, and acted as State Secretary for Foreign Policy, becoming chief operating officer in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017.[8]

United States

Lone D. Wisborg (in the background) and Greenlandic officials meet with US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman.

In the 2019 ambassadorial reshuffle, Wisborg was appointed Ambassador of Denmark to the United States, as the first woman to hold the position.[9] She presented her credentials to President Donald J. Trump at the White House, on 8 April 2019,[10] having previously, on 1 April, presented these to Ambassador Sean Lawler, Chief of Protocol of the United States, in a ceremony at the State Department.[11]

Trump's Greenland proposal and diplomatic tensions

Her tenure involved addressing a proposal by former President Donald Trump to purchase Greenland, a matter discussed with varying degrees of seriousness among Trump's advisers.[12] The proposal encountered resistance, and Kim Kielsen, the Premier of Greenland, firmly stated that the territory was not for sale.[13] Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the plan as "absurd."[14] In response to this, President Trump expressed his displeasure and characterized Frederiksen's response as "nasty." Consequently, he cancelled a planned state visit to Denmark scheduled for two weeks after the August remarks.[15][16][17]

In the aftermath of this diplomatic tension, the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took efforts to ease the situation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish embassy in Washington engaged their diplomatic connections with top government officials in the United States. During this time, Ambassador Wisborg, played a pivotal role in managing the situation. Having landed in Copenhagen Airport to attend the annual Ambassador's Meeting, she promptly returned to her office and staff in Washington in an endeavour to de-escalate the situation.[18] She rapidly facilitated "several meetings"[19] with the US Department of State and organized a conference call between Frederiksen and Trump, after which Trump's tone shifted considerably, as he began to express a more positive perspective. Speaking to multiple American media outlets, he unexpectedly lauded Frederiksen as a "wonderful woman".[20]

Publicly, she declined to comment on Trump's interest in buying Greenland.[21]

Policy areas

As ambassador, Wisborg facilitated discussions related to US-Danish cooperation in green water technology, signing a memorandum of understanding regarding a cooperation agreement on Danish water technology to Houston, Texas.[22] She also advocated for increased collaboration between American and Danish researchers in quantum technology, emphasizing that it is "crucial that democratic governments take the lead in ensuring the responsible development and use of quantum technologies".[23] Additionally, she engaged in meetings with Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale during her time as Ambassador.[24]

The working paper that Wisborg received from the Danish government before officially beginning her ambassadorship, outlined the direction of the embassy's activities, with a special emphasis on the work between Danish and American soldiers during joint missions. The correspondence on mutual defence policies resulted in Denmark committing to send an additional 500 soldiers to international missions in September 2019, as well as taking over responsibility from Canada for NATO's training mission for Iraqi soldiers[25]

In October 2019, she, together with the four other Nordic US ambassadors, Bergdis Ellertsdottir (Iceland), Karin Olufsdotter (Sweden), Kirsti Kauppi (Finland) and Kåre R. Aas [no] (Norway), formed a unified Nordic front, advocating for climate change action in Washington, highlighting Scandinavian solutions and initiatives.[26]

She participated in the 2022 Arctic Encounter symposium in Anchorage, Alaska.[27]

NATO

In the 2023 ambassadorial reshuffle, Wisborg was appointed Permanent Representative of Denmark to NATO, and represents Denmark in the North Atlantic Council.[28]

Personal life

She is the mother of a son born via a donor.[2] She is the owner of three dogs and enjoys tennis, golf and politics.[9]

Honours

National

 Denmark:

International

 Spain:

References

  1. ^ a b "Altinget person – Lone Dencker Wisborg". www.altinget.dk. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  2. ^ a b Truelsen, Marie-Louise (2019-08-28). "Danmarks første kvindelige ambassadør i USA". Alt for Damerne – alt.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  3. ^ "Ambassador Lone Dencker Wisborg". North Atlantic Treaty Organization – nato.int. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Linkedin profile – Lone Dencker Wisborg". Linkedin.com. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  5. ^ "A DIPLOMAT'S PROFILE: AMB. LONE DENCKER WISBORG". Guidepost Magazine. 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  6. ^ ""Det værste, der kan ske, er, at jeg keder mig"". Embedsværk. 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  7. ^ Christoffersen, Camilla Stougård (23 November 2018). "Nordjyde bliver Danmarks første kvindelige ambassadør i USA". TV2 Nord (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  8. ^ Sloan, Susan (2020). A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World. New Degree Press. p. 365. ISBN 9781641375771.
  9. ^ a b Mouritzen, Kristian (2018-11-21). "Danmark får sin første kvindelige USA-ambassadør". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  10. ^ "Ambassador of Denmark to the United States – X account (formerly Twitter)". twitter.com. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Denmark in the US – X account (formerly Twitter)". twitter.com. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  12. ^ "AP source: Trump has talked about buying Greenland for US". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 15 August 2019. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  13. ^ Sorensen, Martin Selsoe (16 August 2019). "'Greenland Is Not for Sale': Trump's Talk of a Purchase Draws Derision". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Danish PM says Trump's idea of selling Greenland to U.S. is absurd". Reuters. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Trump droppede Mette Frederiksen midt om natten – mandag tager hun revanche - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  16. ^ Karni, Annie (20 August 2019). "Trump Scraps Trip to Denmark, as Greenland Is Not for Sale". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Trump cancels Denmark visit amid spat over sale of Greenland". BBC. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  18. ^ Breum, Martin (2021-08-25). Grønland og den amerikanske forbindelse: Om købstilbud, løsrivelse og kongerigets skæbne (in Danish). Gyldendal A/S. ISBN 978-87-02-34460-8.
  19. ^ Hare, Henrik Philip (2019-08-23). "Trump har haft en "konstruktiv" samtale med Mette Frederiksen". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  20. ^ "Trump droppede Mette Frederiksen midt om natten – mandag tager hun revanche - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  21. ^ "Ambassador's Directory 2019 – Washington Life Magazine". 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  22. ^ "Danmark indgår samarbejdsaftale om vandteknologi til amerikansk storby". ctwatch.dk. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  23. ^ Ritzau, Af (2022-06-08). "Danmark og USA styrker samarbejde om fremtidens supercomputere". Electronic Supply DK. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  24. ^ "Public Schedule – December 18, 2020". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  25. ^ Jansen, Torsten (2020-03-12). Sprækker: Om rystelserne i venskabet mellem Danmark og USA (in Danish). Gyldendal A/S. ISBN 978-87-02-28530-7.
  26. ^ "Washington Life Magazine - The Vikings Take on Climate Change". issuu.com. 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  27. ^ "AES 2022". Arctic Encounter Symposium. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  28. ^ NATO. "Lone Dencker Wisborg, NATO Permanent Representative for Denmark". NATO. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  29. ^ a b "Modtagere af danske dekorationer". www.kongehuset.dk. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  30. ^ "Government honours former Danish Ambassador Lone Dencker Wiisborg". The Diplomat in Spain. 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2023-11-04.