Biography

• Born on 20th April 1939 in Oslo.
• Studied Medicine at the University of Oslo; doctorate in 1963; Master of Public Health at Harvard University (1965). Afterwards she worked as an advisor to the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
• In 1974 she was voted into the directorate of the Worker’s Party, and became its Deputy Chair a year later. From 1974 to 1979 she was Minister for Environmental Affairs. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1977; in 1980 she became Chair of the Commission for Foreign Affairs and at the same time deputy chief whip.
• In 1981 she held for a short time (8 months) as the first woman the office of Prime Minister of Norway; she also became at the same time the Chair of the Worker’s Party (until 1992). Afterwards she held again from 1986 to 1989 and 1990 to 1996 the office of Prime Minister. Her commitment to the European Community and her European politics did not find the acceptance she had expected in the population: at the Referendum in November 1994 52% of the population voted against EU membership.

• In 1998 she became Director General of the World Health Organisation in Geneva.