Sharon Dijksma is the mayor of Utrecht since December 16, 2020. In 1994 she was elected as a member of parliament for the PvdA. She was Minister for Education, Culture and Science from 2007-2010, Minister for Agriculture from 2012-2015 and Minister for the Environment from 2015-2017. From 2018-2020 she was Deputy Mayor for Traffic and Transport, Water and Air Quality of the Municipality of Amsterdam. Sharon Dijksma is the 332nd mayor of Utrecht. As a mayor, she is responsible for public safety and security in the city. Dijksma is committed to a safe, healthy and sustainable city and to equal opportunities for everyone. As Mayor of Utrecht, Dijksma is also chairwoman of the Economic Board Utrecht and the Utrecht Region, which comprises 1,3 million inhabitants. Dijksma is also president of the Netherlands Association of Municipalities (VNG). Since May 2022, Dijksma has been acting as special envoy on behalf of the UN city network ICLEI/LGMA, advocating a more prominent role for cities during the international climate negotiations (COP's).