Democracy Expert
Lisbeth V. Pilegaard is a seasoned democracy expert and senior civil society leader with more than 25 years of professional experience with inclusion and representation, primarily from conflict affected countries.
Ms. Pilegaard has been a member of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) Board of Governors since its establishment in 2013 and has served as the chair of the Executive Committee since 2018. She has undertaken several missions with EED to Ukraine, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey/Syria, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Moldova to engage with former and current democracy activists.
From 2019 to 2023, Ms. Pilegaard was the Executive Director of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy, which works with Danish political parties to support the development of well-functioning democratic political parties, multiparty systems and other institutions globally. She was previously the Executive Director of the Danish Fund "Outside," working for the rights of socially marginalized population groups in Denmark. From 2012-17, she founded and managed a Foreign Policy consultancy firm, serving and advising the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Civil Society, think tanks and several UN organisations and initiatives.
Ms. Pilegaard has been seconded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an Expert Adviser to support the UN High Level Panel for Humanitarian Financing set up by the former Secretary-General of the United Nations to address global humanitarian crises by developing the ‘Grand Bargain’ launched at the Global Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.
Previously, Ms. Pilegaard headed the Department for Middle East & North Africa at KVINFO – a leading Danish institution on Gender, Equality and Diversity – and led the development of strategic partnerships between Denmark and the MENA region, working with over 90 partners within the public, private and civil society sectors, and the academic world to help increase women’s economic, social, and political participation in the region. Prior to that, she headed the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Global Technical Support Unit and established and led the organisation's efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran as Regional Representative for three years.
As an NGO representative and consultant, Ms. Pilegaard has worked in more than 40 conflict-affected countries on all continents with long-term deployments in Iraq, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Ms. Pilegaard has served in various NGO/UN/EU committees and working groups on development, humanitarian aid and democracy support, coordination, coherence, and transparency. She has been a civil society member of the Danish Delegation to the UN Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) and held a seat in the governing Council of the NGO Action Aid, Denmark. She has also been a board member of Transparency International – DK Chapter and was appointed Adviser to the UN Compact Cities Programme in Australia.
Ms. Pilegaard is a Steering Group Member of the Nordic Women Mediators Network working for the inclusion of more women in peace processes globally, and is a Leadership Fellow at the St. George’s House, Windsor Castle, UK. She also serves on the approval committee of the Danish New Democracy Fund. She has held board positions in the LIVIA Foundation, the Anna Lindh Foundation and has been the chairperson of the Danish Council for International Conflict Resolution (RIKO). In addition, she has been a guest lecturer at different institutions, including the University of Aalborg and the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany, and is a frequent expert guest speaker in Danish radio and television broadcasts on crises, conflict and democracy issues.
Ms. Pilegaard holds an MA in Rhetorics with a focus on peace negotiations from the University of Copenhagen.