The Honorable Reverend Kjell Magne Bondevik

Born in Molde, Møre og Romsdal, Norway in 1947, the Hon. Rev. Kjell Magne Bondevik has spent most of his life in public service. When he received his Bachelor of Divinity degree from the University of Oslo’s Free Faculty of Theology in 1975, he had already served as a Deputy Representative to the Norwegian Storting (Parliament) and as a Municipal Councillor and a member of the school board in Nesodden, Norway. By the time he was ordained as a minister of the Lutheran Church of Norway in 1979, he had been a full member of the Storting for six years.

In October, 1997 Mr. Bondevik became Prime Minister of Norway, a position that he held until March of this year. As Prime Minister, he was especially active on the international scene, working tirelessly for peace in the Middle East and advocating for human rights around the globe. His efforts in the Middle East peace process were especially pivotal in the Fall of 1999 when he was instrumental in bringing together Palestinian and Jewish leaders for a critical summit. At his urging, United States President Bill Clinton traveled to Norway to participate in these discussions, thus making President Clinton the first sitting American president to travel to Norway.

Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Mr. Bondevik held numerous cabinet posts in the Norwegian government, primarily in the fields of foreign affairs, church relations, and education. From 1972-73, he was the State Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister. He served as the Minister of Church and Education from 1983 to 1986 and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1990. Over the course of his political career, he has also been a member of four of the Storting’s standing committees: Church and Education, Finance, Foreign and Constitutional Affairs, and Defense.

Mr. Bondevik has also been a forceful leader in Norway’s Christian Democratic party politics for over 30 years. He led the Norwegian Young Christian Democrats from 1970 to 1973, after spending two years as that organization’s Deputy Chairman. As a member of the Storting, he was his party’s Political Vice Chairman from 1975 to 1984 and its Chairman from 1983 to 1995. He also served as the Parliamentary Leader of his party’s Storting group from 1981 to 1983, 1986 to 1989, and 1993 to 1997.

Mr. Bondevik is the author of The Third Alternative: The Norwegian Approach to Christian Democratic Politics published in 1995 (available in Norwegian only). He and his wife, Bjørg, have three children.