Merete Fjeld Brattested took up the position of Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations on 1 September 2023.
Prior to that she served as Director General for the Department of Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. The department has the overall responsibility for Norway’s relations with the United Nations, the World Bank and the regional development banks as well as for human rights, democracy and gender equality and for humanitarian affairs.
From 2011-2018 Mrs Brattested served as Chief of Protocol and Director General of the Department for Culture and Protocol. From 2010-2011 she served as Deputy Director General in Department for Human and Financial Resources. She was Ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar from 2005-2010 and Director for the Section for Humanitarian Affairs from 2002-2005. She has extensive experience dealing with humanitarian crisis and its aftermaths, in particular Norway’s response to the 2004 tsunami in Asia as well as cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.
As Chief of Protocol Mrs Brattested served as the main liaison to the Royal Palace of Norway and accompanied H.M. the King and Queen on numerous visits abroad. Mrs Brattested joined the Norwegian Foreign service in 1990. Mrs Brattested was born in Bergen, Norway in August 1963. She holds an M.A. with honours in Political Economy from Glasgow University, Scotland 1989. She is married with two children.
- Sep 2023 - Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations
- 2018 – Aug 2023 Director General, Department for Multilateral Affairs
- 2011 – 2018 Director General/Chief of Protocol, Department for Culture and Protocol
- 2010 – 2011 Deputy Director General, Department for Human and Financial Resources
- 2005 – 2010 Ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar
- 2002 – 2005 Director, Section for Humanitarian Affairs
- 2000 – 2002 Adviser, UN Department, Security Council Team
- 1998 – 2000 Adviser, Human Rights Section and European Policy Section
- 1995 – 1998 First Secretary, Norwegian Embassy Paris
- 1992 – 1995 Second Secretary, Norwegian Embassy Bangkok
- 1990 – 1992 Trainee, Ministry of Foreign Affair