Gunilla Hallonsten elected as Right Livelihood’s new Chair of the Board
News 01.07.2022
Gunilla Hallonsten, who serves as Dean at the Church of Sweden in Malmö, has been elected Chair of Right Livelihood’s Board starting July 1.
“I am deeply honoured to have been elected as chair of Right Livelihood, where we are committed to peace, justice and sustainability – for all!” Hallonsten said.
“Right Livelihood contributes to life-changing work for the world and stands for courage and social change. In my new capacity, I really look forward to supporting the development that will be needed for Right Livelihood to continue its remarkable work.”
Hallonsten is succeeding Paul Ekins, who held the position between 2018 and 2022.
“The longstanding engagement Professor Paul Ekins has had is very impressive, and we will miss his commitment, and deep and valuable knowledge on global challenges,” Hallonsten said.
Hallonsten currently works as Dean of the Church of Sweden Malmö. She has previously held several positions at the Church of Sweden, including Acting Executive Director, Acting International Director, Policy Director and Policy Advisor on HIV, Gender and Theology.
Hallonsten holds a PhD in Theology and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Lund in Sweden.
She has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), especially working on global policy and advocacy related to SRHR, HIV and gender equality. She has been a board member of the Swedish RFSU, a national association for sexuality education.
Her knowledge in the areas of gender, SRHR and theology was deepened through working for many years in Southern Africa with faith-based and non-governmental organisations on HIV and gender equality. She has served as Senior Advisor on Gender Justice at ACT Alliance, a global network of churches providing humanitarian assistance, based in South Africa, and as Coordinator on HIV in Southern Africa for the Church of Sweden, based in Zambia.
In her current position as Dean of Malmö, she focuses, among other things, on interreligious work for social cohesion and peace. She is also a member of the Commission of Churches for International Affairs at the World Council of Churches.
