Gro Harlem Brundtland

Gro Harlem Brundtland (help·info) (pronounced [ɡru: hɑ:ɭɛm brʉntlɑn:]) (born April 20, 1939) is a Norwegian politician, diplomat, and physician, and an international leader in sustainable development and public health. She is a former Prime Minister of Norway, and has served as the Director General of the World Health Organization. She now serves as a Special Envoy on Climate Change for the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.^[1]

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Domestic career

Brundtland was born in Oslo, and was educated as a Medical Doctor (cand. med.) at the University of Oslo in 1963, and Master of Public Health at Harvard University in 1965. From 1966 to 1969, she worked as a physician at the Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet), and from 1969 she worked as a doctor in Oslo's public school health service. She was Norwegian Minister for Environmental Affairs 1974-79, and became Norway's first - and to date only - female Prime Minister February - October 1981; her cabinet was renowned internationally for having eight female ministers out of 18.

Brundtland became Norwegian Prime Minister for two subsequent terms - from May 9, 1986 until October 16, 1989 and from November 3, 1990 until October 25, 1996, when she was succeeded by Thorbjørn Jagland. She resigned as leader of the Norwegian Labour Party in 1992.

Gro Harlem Brundtland is a member of Norsk Humanetisk Forbund, the Norwegian Humanist Association.

International career

Brundtland was Chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), widely referred to as the Brundtland Commission, developing the broad political concept of sustainable development in the course of extensive public hearings that were distinguished by their inclusiveness and published its report Our Common Future in April 1987. The Brundtland Commission provided the momentum for the 1992 Earth Summit / UNCED, that was headed by Maurice Strong, who had been a prominent member of the Brundtland Commission - and for Agenda 21.

Brundtland was elected Director-General of the World Health Organization in May 1998. In this capacity, Brundtland adopted a far-reaching approach to public health, establishing a Commission on Macroeconomics and Health - chaired by Jeffrey Sachs - and addressing violence as a major public health issue. Brundtland spearheaded the movement, now worldwide, to achieve the abolition of cigarette smoking by education and persuasion. Under her leadership, the World Health Organization was one of the first major employers to require freedom from tobacco addiction as a condition of employment. Brundtland was recognized in 2003 by Scientific American as their Policy Leader of the Year for coordinating a rapid worldwide response to stem outbreaks of SARS. Gro Harlem Brundtland was succeeded, on July 21, 2003, by Jong-Wook Lee.

In 1994 Brundtland was awarded the Charlemagne Prize of the city of Aachen.

In 2004 the British newspaper The Financial Times listed Brundtland the 4th most influential European for the last 25 years, behind Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher.

In 2006 Brundtland was a member of the Panel of Eminent Persons who reviewed the work of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.)

In May 2007, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named Brundtland, as well as Ricardo Lagos, the former president of Chile and Han Seung-soo, the former foreign minister of South Korea, to serve as UN Special Envoys for Climate Change.^[2]

Brundtland's hallmark political activities have been chronicled by her husband, Arne Olav Brundtland, in his two bestsellers, Married to Gro (ISBN 82-516-1647-6) and the sequel, Still married to Gro (ISBN 82-05-30726-1).

Brundtland now works for Pepsi as a consultant, a position that has caused some turbulence.[1].^[3]

The Elders

On July 18, 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel, and Desmond Tutu convened a group of world leaders to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and integrity to tackle some of the world's toughest problems. Nelson Mandela announced the formation of this new group, The Elders, in a speech he delivered on the occasion of his 89th birthday.

Archbishop Tutu will serve as the Chair of The Elders. The founding members of this group also included Graça Machel, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson and Muhammad Yunus.

“This group can speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes on whatever actions need to be taken,” Mandela commented. “Together we will work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict, and inspire hope where there is despair.”

The Elders will be independently funded by a group of Founders, including Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Ray Chambers; Michael Chambers; Bridgeway Foundation; Pam Omidyar, Humanity United; Amy Robbins; Shashi Ruia, Dick Tarlow; and The United Nations Foundation.

Gro Harlem Brundtland has attended the Bilderberg meetings.

Member of the Club of Madrid[2].^[4]

Private Life

She married Arne Olav Brundtland 9 December 1960. A Humanist family, they have four children. They own a house in the south of France.

References