- Born on 20 January 1945 in Skien (NO)

- Nationality: Norwegian

- Chairman of the Workers’ Youth League (1971–1973)

- General Secretary of the National Committee for International Youth Work (NIU) (1973)

- President of the Council of European National Youth Committees (CENYC) (1973–1975)

- Secretary for Research and International Affairs in the Norwegian Labour Party (1973–1980)

- Secretary of the Oslo Labour Party (1980–1982)

- Leader of the Oslo Labour Party (1982–1990)

- Member of the Norwegian Labour Party National Executive Committee (1983–1990)

- Member of the Standing Committee on Finance (1986–1989)

- Member of Parliament (1986–2001)

- Member and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs (1989–1991)

- Minister for Trade and Shipping (1991–1994)

- Minister for Foreign Affairs (1994–1997)

- Member of the Standing Committee on Defence (1997–2000)

- Minister for Defence (2000–2001)

- Adviser in the Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo (2001–2003)

- Ambassador at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Berlin (2003–2007)

- Special adviser to the Foreign Ministry on energy and climate issues (2007–2010)

- Senior adviser at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) in Oslo (since 2007)