Lisbeth Pilegaard is Executive Director of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD), which works closely with Danish political parties to support the development of well-functioning democratic political parties, multi-party systems and other institutions globally. Pilegaard was previously the Executive Director of the Danish Fund Outside, working for the rights of socially marginalized groups.
Pilegaard has been seconded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Humanitarian Affairs Expert Adviser to support the UN High Level Panel for Humanitarian Financing set up by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to address global humanitarian crises by developing the ‘Grand Bargain’.
Pilegaard previously headed the Department for Middle East & North Africa at KVINFO – a leading Danish institution on Gender, Equality and Diversity – leading the development of strategic partnerships between Denmark and the MENA region, working with over 90 partners within the public, private and civil society sector and the academic world to help increase women’s economic, social and political participation in the region. Pilegaard also headed the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Global Technical Support Unit and established and managed NRC offices in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran as Regional Representative for three years.
Pilegaard has served in various NGO/UN/EU committees and working groups on development and humanitarian aid coordination, coherence and transparency. She was a civil society member of the Danish Delegation in the 2013 UN Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) and sat in the Council of the NGO Action Aid – Denmark. She has also been a board member of Transparency International – DK Chapter, and was appointed Adviser to UN Compact Cities Programme in Australia. Pilegaard is a Steering Member of the Nordic Women Mediators Network working for the inclusion of women into peace processes globally as well as she sits in the Board of the LIVIA Foundation, the Anna Lindh Foundation and is the Chairperson of the Danish Council for International Conflict Resolution (RIKO).
Lisbeth Pilegaard is a Board Member and Chair of the Executive Committee of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED).