On October 18, 2024, Ambassador Beresford-Hill met with H.E. Ambassador Andreas Løvold, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Norway to the United Nations.

Ambassador Løvold, a career diplomat with extensive experience in multilateral affairs, assumed his current role at Norway’s Mission to the UN in August 2023. Before this appointment, he served as Director for the Section for Coordination of UN Security Council Affairs during Norway’s tenure as an elected member of the Security Council in 2021-2022. His diplomatic career, spanning two decades, includes postings at the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul from 2006 to 2009, Norway’s Mission to the UN in New York from 2009 to 2013, and a role with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) as head of the electoral team from 2013 to 2014. He has also served as Deputy Director of the Section for the Middle East and North Africa from 2017 to 2020, with regional expertise in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

During the meeting, Ambassador Beresford-Hill provided an overview of the Sovereign Order of Malta’s history and its current humanitarian operations. He highlighted the Order’s work in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and Ukraine, emphasising its mission to deliver aid in areas of greatest need.

Ambassador Løvold expressed Norway’s appreciation for the Order’s global humanitarian efforts and shared insights into Norway’s own humanitarian initiatives, which have recently focused on the Middle East.

The discussion concluded with a focus on the Sovereign Order of Malta’s growing engagement within the United Nations system, including its increasing participation in the Security Council. Ambassador Løvold expressed interest in the Order’s unique role in multilateral diplomacy, while both Ambassadors explored potential avenues for future collaboration between Norway and the Order of Malta.