Ralf Hjalmar Mikael Friberg (born 17 April 1936 in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

) is a Finnish retired journalist, ambassador and former

Social Democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...

MP.

Biography

Friberg belongs to the Swedish-speaking population of Finland. His parents were sergeant major Rudolf Mikael Friberg and librarian Astrid Ingeborg Tuominen. He graduated in 1955 and completed a bachelor's degree at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

in 1964. Friberg was a journalist at ''

Västra Nyland ''Västra Nyland'' is a regional Swedish-language newspaper in Finland. The name of the newspaper translates into "The western part of the Nyland region (of Finland)", this region also being the area where the newspaper is circulated. The newspa ...

'', ''

Östra Nyland ''Östra Nyland'' (meaning "Eastern Nyland" in English) was a Swedish-language newspaper published in Loviisa in Finland. History and profile The newspaper was founded in 1881, and it was the world's easternmost Swedish-language newspaper. T ...

'' and ''

Vasabladet ''Vasabladet'' (abbr. ''VBL'') is a Swedish language regional daily newspaper in Ostrobothnia, Finland. In terms of circulation, it is the second largest Swedish newspaper in Finland, behind ''Hufvudstadsbladet''. History and profile ''Vasablad ...

'' newspapers in the late 1950s. At ''Östra Nyland'', he was the youngest editor of a Finnish newspaper ever. Friberg served as the Parliamentary and Labor Market Officer of ''

Hufvudstadsbladet ''Hufvudstadsbladet'' (abbr. ''Hbl'') is the highest-circulation Swedish-language newspaper in Finland. Its headquarters is located in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The name of the newspaper translates approximately into "Journal of the Capi ...

'' in 1959–1963, as Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Newspaper Office 1963-1965 and as Head of the

Broadcasting Company Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...

in 1965–1970. In the 1970s he was a lecturer at the Swedish Social and Communal College in 1972-1979 and Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense in 1979 to 1980. In the 1980s, Friberg served as the Information Officer of the

Nordic Council of Ministers The Nordic Council of Ministers is an intergovernmental forum established after the Helsinki Treaty. The purpose of the Nordic Council of Ministers is to complement the Nordic Council and promote Nordic cooperation. Structure The governme ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, 1980–1982, as the Press Council at the Finnish Embassy in Stockholm, 1982–1984, and as the Negotiating Officer and Head of Department for the Press and Culture Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from 1988 to 1992. He also served as editor-in-chief in

Iltalehti ''Iltalehti'' (literally "Evening newspaper") is a tabloid newspaper published in Helsinki, Finland. History and profile ''Iltalehti'' was established in 1980 as afternoon edition of newspaper ''Uusi Suomi''. Alma Media is the owner of ''Iltal ...

newspaper from 1984 to 1987 and in the Finnish Business Report newspaper from 1987 to 1988. In the 1990s Friberg served as Finland's ambassador in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

1992-1995 and in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in from 1995 to 2001. Friberg was a member of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

from 1970 to 1979 from the constituency of the City of Helsinki. He was electorate in the presidential election in 1968 and 1978 and member of the Helsinki City Council in 1965 and the Swedish Assembly of Finland from 1964 to 1975. Friberg was involved in the Parliamentary Defense Committee in 1971 and 1975 and in the Planning Commission for Defense Information (1972-1979). Friberg has been married since 1956 with Senny Britt-Marie Liewendahl. They have two children, son and daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friberg, Ralf 1936 births Living people Politicians from Helsinki Swedish-speaking Finns Social Democratic Party of Finland politicians Members of the Parliament of Finland (1970–1972) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1972–1975) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1975–1979) Ambassadors of Finland to Greece Ambassadors of Finland to Denmark Journalists from Helsinki Finnish television journalists Diplomats from Helsinki