Helga Hernes

Overview

Helga Hernes (née Jahncke) born Deutsch-Krone, West Prussia (now Wałcz, Poland) January 16, 1938. Norwegian diplomat, cabinet member, and expert on women's issues. Two-time State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Gro Brundtland, 1988-89, 1990-93; Norwegian ambassador to Austria, Slovakia, and Switzerland; advisor at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), 2005-present. Sponsored international conference on small arms, 1998; co-edited Women and War, 2011.

Quotations

"Since the end of the Cold War, the breakdown of security—through low intensity conflicts, civil wars, internal wars and a variety of transnational organized criminal activities—has cost millions of lives, predominantly among civilians. Violence has severe impacts, especially on women and children, and security problems are even more acute in refugee camps, which are commonly the scene of large-scale rapes, forced prostitution and other abuses. This highlights the need for the international community to put the consequences of armed conflict for civilians at the core of its thinking about disarmament, rather than insisting it stay at the periphery. It also underlines the necessity of promoting women's participation and representation in decision-making positions." (UN Institute for Disarm. Research, Geneva, Nov. 23, 2005; photo tv2.no)