Gunvor "Vesla" Vetlesen (née Hansen, born 19 October 1930) is a Norwegian weaver, trade unionist, writer and politician for the Labour Party. She was

Minister of International Development An International development minister is a position in many governments responsible for development aid and international development. Country-related articles and lists *: Minister for International Development *: Minister of International D ...

from 1986 to 1988.

Biography

She was born in

Farsund is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Farsund. Farsund is a coastal municipality in the far southwestern part of Norway, b ...

as a daughter of Peder Håkon Jarl Hansen (1890–1986) and Sigrid Berger (1898–1994). The family moved to Stavanger in 1937. For a period during the

German Occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

the family's home at

Storhaug Storhaug is a borough of the city of Stavanger which lies in the southwestern part of the large municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. This borough includes the traditional city centre and main harbor along the Byfjorden. It is lo ...

was the location for production of the illegal newspapers ''Stritt folk'' and ''Frihet''. Her father was later imprisoned and sent to the

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoner ...

, while her brother Johan was sent to NN camps. Her brother Helge was the joint leader of a group of

saboteur Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identiti ...

s in the Stavanger district during the war. She

finished Finished may refer to: * ''Finished'' (novel), a 1917 novel by H. Rider Haggard * ''Finished'' (film), a 1923 British silent romance film * "Finished" (short story), a science fiction short story by L. Sprague de Camp See also *Finishing (disa ...

her secondary education in 1949 and studied textile design at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO). ...

from 1950 to 1954. In 1951 she became the second wife of

Leif Vetlesen Leif Vetlesen (7 August 1921 – 18 May 2003) was a Norwegian sailor, political worker, organizational worker and writer. He was born in Oslo, Kristiania as a son of engineer Alf Vetlesen (1878–1963) and teacher Aagot Bugge (1881–1967). He was ...

(1921–2003). She was a communist during her early life, chairing the regional chapter of the Young Communist League of Norway in Rogaland from 1948 to 1949, when she was expelled from the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

. After the Soviet invasion of Hungary she renounced Communism and joined the Norwegian Labour Party together with her husband. Vetlesen worked as a weaver from 1951, and left Norway to teach weaving in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

in 1968, where her husband worked for the

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In matters regarding Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), Norad reports to the Norwegian Ministry ...

. After some years in Uganda, they returned to Norway. Vesla Vetlesen was a journalist for the

European Movement The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. History The origins of th ...

for one year before working in Arbeidernes Opplysningsforbund. She then worked as a secretary for humanitarian organizations;

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

from 1973 to 1975 and

Norwegian People's Aid Norwegian People's Aid ( no, Norsk Folkehjelp) was founded in 1939 to provide post-conflict reconstruction assistance and humanitarian relief during conflicts. NPA is now engaged in more than 33 countries in de-mining, humanitarian relief, promot ...

from 1975 to 1980, before working in the

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions ( no, Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national union ...

from 1980 to 1986 and 1988 to 1994. From 1986 to 1988 she served as Norway's Minister of Development Cooperation in Brundtland's Second Cabinet. Her only elected political position was as

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

council member in Vestli from 1973 to 1977. Vetlesen was a board member of the

United Nations Association of Norway The United Nations Association of Norway ( no, FN-sambandet) is an information organisation in Norway. It was established as ''Norsk Samband for de Forente Nasjoner'' ("Norwegian Association for the United Nations"), but later changed its name. It ...

from 1982 to 1984, and chaired the European Movement in Oslo from 2000 to 2001. She wrote several books. She was also interested in flowers in her later life, chairing the Norwegian Orchid Society from 1989 to 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vetlesen, Vesla 1930 births Living people People from Farsund Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Communist Party of Norway politicians Labour Party (Norway) politicians Norwegian trade unionists Ministers of International Development of Norway Norwegian non-fiction writers Norwegian women non-fiction writers Women government ministers of Norway