Jan Egeland was born on 12 September 1957 and is a Norwegian diplomat, political scientist, humanitarian leader and former Labour Party politician who has been Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council since 2013.
11 Facts About Jan Egeland
2.
Jan Egeland served as State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1997 and as United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from 2003 to 2006.
3.
Jan Egeland began working with Amnesty International while in high school, campaigning for the disappeared in Chile in the 1970s, and at age 19 spent a month working for Catholic relief organization Minuto de Dios with the Motilon people in Colombia.
4.
Jan Egeland's career includes service to his government as State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1997.
5.
Jan Egeland co-initiated and co-organized the Norwegian channel between Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization in 1992, which led to the Oslo Accord of September 1993.
6.
Jan Egeland directed the Norwegian facilitation of the United Nations-led peace talks leading up to ceasefire agreement between the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca guerrillas signed in Oslo in 1996.
7.
Jan Egeland led the host delegation when the Ottawa Treaty to ban landmines was successfully negotiated and adopted in Oslo in 1997.
8.
Jan Egeland assumed his post as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in August 2003.
9.
In July 2006, Jan Egeland launched a US$150 million aid appeal for Lebanon, following the destruction of parts of Lebanon by Israeli forces and subsequent displacement of many thousands of refugees.
10.
Jan Egeland has chaired the United Nations panel on humanitarian access in the lengthy war in Syria and in 2017 was the UN Senior Advisor for Syria where he has advocated for simultaneous convoy exchanges and medical evacuations.
11.
Jan Egeland was married to former Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Kristin Sydnes until her death in 2017, and has two daughters.