Brundtland, Gro Harlem (1939- )

Norwegian Labour politician, prime minister 1981, 1986-89 and 1990-96 and director-general (head) of the World Health Organization (WHO) 1998-2003. She entered politics in 1974, when invited to become environment minister (to 1976), and became the country's first female major party leader and prime minister in 1981. She held office as prime minister for 7 months in 1981 and returned to office in 1986. Her government was forced to push through austerity measures, after the collapse of world petroleum prices. She resigned as leader of the Norwegian Labour Party in 1992 but continued as prime minister. From 1993, she led a minority Labour government committed to European Union membership, but failed to secure backing for the membership application in a 1994 national referendum and resigned as prime minister in 1996.

Born in Oslo, she trained as a physician, but concentrated on politics from 1974. She chaired the World Commission on Environment and Development, which produced the Brundtland Report, published as Our Common Future in 1987.