Kjell Magne Bondevik Biography
Born and raised in central Norway’s Romsdal fjord region, Kjell Magne Bondevik studied theology at the University of Oslo. While there, he also became active in the Norwegian Young Christian Democrats, the party once led by his uncle and namesake, Kjell Bondevik. While still a student, Kjell Magne rose through the ranks to become the party’s vice-chair and was elected to Norway’s Parliament in 1973. In 1979 he was ordained a Lutheran minister.
During the 1980s, Bondevik served as minister for foreign affairs, minister for church and education, as well as deputy prime minister. In 1997 Bondevik became prime minister in a tenuous coalition that contributed to his taking an official medical leave of absence for depression, which made international headlines and received an outpouring of support from the Norwegian people. Following Bondevik’s second term as prime minister, from 2001–2005, when his party lost the majority, he moved away from active involvement in politics.
In 2006 Bondevik founded the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, established to focus international work in three areas: human rights, democracy, and inter-religious and intercultural dialogue. Each of these areas has several ongoing active projects around the world.
In 2006, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan named him to serve as the special humanitarian envoy for the Horn of Africa, which includes Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, and Ethiopia.
Links
Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights
http://www.oslocenter.no
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Forum History
In cooperation with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, five Midwestern colleges of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America sponsor the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. This prestigious event is the Norwegian Nobel Institute's only such program or academic affiliation outside Norway. MORE >>
Schedule
Full schedule, including locations and Saturday seminars (PDF)
Friday, March 5
- 5-7 p.m. - Artist receptions
- 7:30 p.m. - Opening ceremony and first plenary session: Striving for Peace: A Question of Will, featuring Martti Ahtisaari
- 9 p.m. - Festivities featuring music of Dustin Thomas and the African Marimba Band
Saturday, March 6
- 9-10:15 a.m. - Second plenary session: A Deliberative Dialogue on the Role of Small States in Strategic Peacebuilding, featuring Martti Ahtisaari and Kjell Magne Bondevik
- 10:45 a.m.-noon - Concurrent sessions: panels & speakers
- 12:30-3 p.m. - Saturday seminars
- 1:45-3 p.m. - Film screening: Pray the Devil Back to Hell
- 3:15-4 p.m. - Film screening and discussion: Ana's Playground
- 4:15-5:30 p.m. - Third plenary session and closing ceremony: Call to Action: The Role of Citizens and Civil Society in Peacebuilding, featuring Leymah Gbowee