Tom Vraalsen

Tom Eric Vraalsen (born January 26, 1936 in Oslo ) is a Norwegian politician of the Senterpartiet (Sp) and diplomat. He was Norwegian Development Minister from 1989 to 1990 and Ambassador to various countries from 1994 to 2003.

Life

Vraalsen finished his economics studies in Aarhus in 1960 . He worked in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1961 to 1962, from 1967 to 1969 and from 1971 to 1975 . From 1962 to 1964 and again from 1969 to 1970 he worked at the embassy in Beijing . From 1964 to 1967 he was deployed in Cairo, from 1970 to 1971 in Manila and 1971 in Jakarta . Between 1975 and 1979 he was a ministerial councilor in the Norwegian UN delegation. From 1979 to 1980 he was chairman of his party in Oslo. Between 1981 and 1982 he was special advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before becoming Norway's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York until 1989 .

On October 16, 1989, he was appointed Minister in the Ministry of Development Aid. His office was incorporated into the Foreign Ministry on January 1, 1990. He carried it out until the end of the Syse government on November 3, 1990.

In 1991 Vraalsen became head of the oil company Saga Petroleum , which was taken over by Norsk Hydro in 1999 . In 1994 he became ambassador to London and in 1996 to Washington, DC , where he stayed until 2001. From 2001 to 2003 he was ambassador to Helsinki . Vraalsen was also involved in the UN missions in Sudan . From 1998 he was special envoy of the UN and as such was involved in the peace talks in the Darfur conflict from 2003 to 2004 . From 2005 to 2008 he was head of the commission that oversaw the implementation of the peace agreement.

Awards

In 1987 Vraalsen was appointed Commander of the Saint Olav Order , and in 1994 Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order . In 2000 and 2001 he also received honorary doctorates from Augustana College and Luther College (Iowa) .

Web links

• Storting biography (Norwegian)
• Biography in the store norske leksikon (Norwegian)