Tora Aasland

President, Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO

Tora Aasland is a former member of the Norwegian government and held the position as Minister for Research and Higher education 2007-2011.

She was a Secretary General of The Norwegian Non-fiction Writers Association 1983-1985 and a member of the Norwegian Parliament 1985-1993. During this period she was a member of the standing committee for Education and Church matters 1985-1989 and a member of the standing committee for Energy and Industry 1989-1993.

Ms Aasland was the County Governor in Rogaland 1993- 2013. She has been the President of the Norwegian UNESCO-Commission, Norway’s coordinating body for UNESCO affairs, since 2013.

Ms Aasland holds degrees in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Oslo. She worked as a researcher at the Institute for Social Research in Oslo 1975-1982.