Urban Ahlin

Urban Christian Ahlin (; born 13 November 1964) is a Swedish diplomat and former politician of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He currently serves as Ambassador of Sweden to the United States since 2023.

Ahlin served as Member of the Riksdag (MP) for the Västra Götaland County East constituency from 1994 to 2018 and was Speaker of the Riksdag (Parliament of Sweden) from September 2014 to September 2018. He was Ambassador of Sweden to Canada from 2019 to 2023.

Education and career Ahlin was born in Mariestad, Skaraborg County, Sweden. From 1981 to 1982, and again from 1984 to 1985, he was chairman of the local branch of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League in Mariestad.

Between 1985 and 1990 Ahlin studied at the specialist teacher-training course at Karlstad University. In Parliament he held a number of different positions. He was a member of the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs, a member of the War Delegation, and a deputy member of the Committee on European Union Affairs. He succeeded Per Westerberg in that post.

Successful mediator

Urban Ahlin has been engaged in many mediations and negotiations. In 2007 he managed after extensive meetings and talks to get two Swedish construction workers out from the Iranian prison, Evin, in Tehran. He was the backchannel between Belarus and United States in negotiating the release of the imprisoned presidential candidate in Belarus, Alexander Kozulin. Kozulin was eventually released. Urban Ahlin was also the person behind the scene in the work to release the hostage at the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party in Stockholm. The staff had been taken hostage by a group of young members of PKK as a protest after the arrest of their leader Öcalan. Urban Ahlin was the channel talking directly to the youngsters making them to give up after Ahlin gave a promise to attend the court hearings in Turkey. Which he later did together with the former Swedish minister Carl Lidbom.

Other organisations Urban Ahlin is and has been a member of many different non-profit organisations. He is a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations ECFR. He is also a member of the Swedish group of Trilateral Commission. He has been a director of the influential American "think and do tank" EastWest Institute. Urban Ahlin regularly participates in programs and seminars organised by The Aspen Institute, German Marshall Fund GMF and Council on Foreign Relationsin Washington DC. Urban Ahlin is also a member of the International Advisory Board of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferations Studies, CSN at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA.

Honours and decorations National honours 50x50px H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size in gold on chain (6 June 2026)

Foreign honours