Maliina Abelsen
Maliina Abelsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 Nuuk, Greenland |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Years active | –present |
| Known for | Minister of Finance of Greenland (2011–2013), Minister of Social Affairs (2009–2011), leader of UNICEF Denmark programme in Greenland (since 2020) |
Maliina Abelsen is a former Greenlandic parliamentarian and representative of the Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party. She held the position of Minister of Finance in the Greenlandic Government () between 2011 and 2013. Prior to this role, from June 2009 until March 2011, she served as Minister of Social Affairs. Since 2020, Abelsen has been leading the UNICEF Denmark programme based in Greenland.
Early life and education
Born in 1976 in Nuuk, Greenland, Abelsen currently resides there with her spouse and two children.
Her academic credentials include a Master’s degree in Policy and Applied Social Science from Macquarie University in Sydney, as well as a Cand.Scient.Soc. from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Sociology. Professionally, she has experience working for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) in Geneva, Greenland’s Foreign Affairs Department, and the Center for Documentation on Youth and Children (MIPI - MIO). Additionally, she serves on the board of the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Partnership Programme.
Responsibilities
During her tenure as Minister of Finance, Abelsen was responsible for overseeing areas such as budgeting, allocation of burdens and tasks, structural policies, tax regulations, block grants, and the management of Statistics Greenland.