{{Short description|Danish politician (Social Liberal Party)}} {{BLP sources|date=October 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Christian Friis Bach | order = Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council | predecessor = | image = Christian Friis Bach by Christian Ursilva (2026).jpg | caption = Bach in 2026 | order1 = Executive Secretary of UNECE | predecessor1 = Sven Alkalaj | successor1 = Olga Algayerova | order2 = Minister for Development Cooperation of Denmark | predecessor2 = Søren Pind | party = Venstre (2024-Present) | other_party = Social Liberals (1980's-2024) | successor2 = Rasmus Helveg Petersen | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|04|29|df=y}} | birth_place = Frederiksberg, Denmark | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = {{marriage|Karin Friis Bach|1989}} | children = 3 | alma_mater = The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University | website = [http://www.friisbach.dk/ Official website] | term_start = 1 November 2017 | term_end = 24 April 2019 | term_start1 = 9 July 2014 | term_end1 = June 2017 | term_start2 = 3 October 2011 | term_end2 = 21 November 2013 | order3 = Member of the Danish Parliament | term_start3 = 15 September 2011 | term_end3 = 31 July 2014 }} '''Christian Friis Bach''' (born 29 April 1966) is a Danish author, lecturer and part-time farmer.
==Early life and education== {{BLP unreferenced section|date=October 2020}} Friis Bach was born in Frederiksberg in Denmark. He holds a PhD in international economics (1996) and an MSc in agronomics (1992) from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (later merged with the University of Copenhagen). In 1991, he took a Supplementary degree in journalism at the Danish School of Media and Journalism.
==Career== Bach was Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) from 9 July 2014 until May 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sga1479.doc.htm |title=Secretary-General Appoints Christian Friis Bach of Denmark Executive Secretary of U.N.E.C.E. |publisher=United Nations |accessdate=19 December 2014|date=19 July 2014}}</ref> He was previously a Member of the Parliament of Denmark and head of the Parliamentarian Group of the Social Liberal Party.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politiken.dk/indland/politik/ECE2143408/friis-bach-faar-plads-i-den-radikale-ledelse/ |title=Friis Bach får plads i den radikale ledelse |trans-title=Friis Bach becomes part of the Social Liberal leadership |language=Danish |work=Politiken|author=Jakob Stig Jørgensen |accessdate=19 December 2014|date=26 November 2013}}</ref> He was Minister for Development Cooperation of Denmark (2011–2013) in the Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
He has been Honorary Professor of International Economics and Development at the University of Copenhagen (2009–2014), Assistant Professor in Development Economics at the University of Copenhagen's Institute of Economics (1996–1999) followed by six years as associate professor in International and Development Economics at the Royal Danish Agricultural University (1999–2005) (currently University of Copenhagen).
He was a special advisor to the European Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, in relation to the United Nations Global Sustainability Panel (2010–2011) and was a member of then prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Commission on Effective Development Cooperation with Africa, which held meetings between April and October 2008.<ref>[http://www.ft.dk/samling/20072/lovforslag/l188/pgf/6/spm/1/svar/570287/594322.pdf Commission on Effective Development Cooperation with Africa] Folketing.</ref>
Bach has a long history with civil society, notably as the international director of DanChurchAid (2005–2010), as chairman of the Danish Association for International Co-operation (Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke) from 1997 to 2001 and secretary-general of the Danish Refugee Council<ref>[https://drc.ngo/news/christian-friis-bach-is-the-next-secretary-general-of-the-danish-refugee-council "Christian Friis Bach is DRC's next Secretary General"]Danish Refugee Council, press release, 4 July 2017. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107024702/https://drc.ngo/news/christian-friis-bach-is-the-next-secretary-general-of-the-danish-refugee-council |date=7 November 2017 }}</ref> from 2017 to 2019.<ref>[https://drc.ngo/news/christian-friis-bach-has-stepped-down-from-his-role-as-secretary-general-in-the-danish-refugee-council "Christian Friis Bach has stepped down from his role as Secretary General in the Danish Refugee Council"], Danish Refugee Council, press release, 24 April 2019. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424150712/https://drc.ngo/news/christian-friis-bach-has-stepped-down-from-his-role-as-secretary-general-in-the-danish-refugee-council |date=24 April 2019 }}</ref> He was one of the key drivers behind the Danish Fair Trade movement (Max Havelaar Fonden later converted to Fair Trade Denmark) in the early 1990s and helped to establish the Danish Ethical Trading Initiative and DanWatch. He also has private sector experience from running two start-up companies, Viewworld and Worldbarrow, and has worked as a journalist at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. [[File:Chris Coons & Christian Friis Bach (55055530078).jpg|thumb|Friis Bach at a press conference at Christiansborg with U.S. Senator Chris Coons, January 2026]] He has published a number of books and articles, both scientific and popular.
Bach has been married to Karin Friis Bach since 1991. They have three grown-up children (born 1991, 1993 and 1999). In their spare time, they run a part-time farm with cows and horses {{convert|25|km}} from Copenhagen.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{ft.dk link}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box| title=Minister for Development Cooperation| before=Søren Pind| years=3 October 2011–21 November 2013| after=Rasmus Helveg Petersen }} {{s-end}} {{Executive Secretaries of UNECE}} {{Navbox with collapsible groups |name = |state = collapsed |title = Members of the Folketing |list1 = {{Folketing members 2022–2026}} |list2 = {{Folketing members 2011–2015}} }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bach, Christian Friis}} Category:1966 births Category:Danish Social Liberal Party politicians Category:Government ministers of Denmark Category:Living people Category:Members of the Folketing 2011–2015 Category:Members of the Folketing 2022–2026 Category:People from Frederiksberg Category:21st-century Danish farmers Category:Danish lecturers