Pär Sköld has been working with human rights and democracy in international development cooperation for more than 15 years. In the academic field he has written a licentiate thesis on international democratization assistance, focusing on the support of fundamental democratic institutions. He has served as a Sida human rights and democracy officer for some six years. At Sida he has been working with Latin America and Asia as well as with global issues. In the years 1999-2002 he served as Sida´s regional adviser for democracy and human rights, stationed at the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok. In 2009-2010 he served as Deputy Head of Mission, democracy/human rights program officer and controller in Honduras. He has also served the UNHCR for two years as an associate protection officer, working to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Central America.
As a private consultant Pär Sköld works in the field of democracy and human rights, with Sida as one of the main customers. He is specializing in fostering rights-based approaches to development, strengthening fundamental democratic institutions and promoting a strong and pro-democratic civil society. As a researcher, Sida staff member and/or consultant, Pär Sköld has been working with all phases of development cooperation, from the development of country strategies and policy dialogues to the design and evaluation of specific projects.
