Haakon Blankenborg (born 8 April 1955) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was born in

Vågå Vågå () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of ...

as a son of sawmill and forest Ola Blankenborg (1909–1989) and housewife Margit Kjeka (1915–1971). After primary school in Vågå he attended secondary school in

Vinstra Vinstra is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Nord-Fron Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. The town is located in the Gudbrandsdalen valley, at the confluence of the Gu ...

from 1972 to 1975, and worked as a sawmill worker from 1975 to 1976. He had joined the Workers' Youth League and chaired it locally and regionally; from 1981 to 1983 he was a member of the central board. He took a degree in history and political science at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

in 1980. He served as a deputy representative to the

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

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The ...

during the term 1977–1981, and was elected in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. He chaired the

Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs () is a defunct committee of the Norwegian Parliament responsible for matters related to foreign policy, development assistance, international agreements, Svalbard and the Norwegian polar regions The pola ...

and the

Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs The Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence is a special committee of the Parliament of Norway. It holds non-disclosed discussions with the government regarding important issues of foreign affairs, trade policy and security issues. Other i ...

from 1993 to 2000. In 2005 he left Parliament to become Norwegian ambassador to

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. He has been a member of the county school board in Oppland from 1979 to 1983, and has been active in 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 Initially the Euro ...

. In 2005, he became Norway's ambassador to

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. Since 2011 he has been General Director at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.

References

1955 births Living people University of Oslo alumni Labour Party (Norway) politicians Oppland politicians Ambassadors of Norway to Serbia Norwegian expatriates in Serbia Members of the Storting 2001–2005 Members of the Storting 1993–1997 Members of the Storting 1997–2001 Members of the Storting 1989–1993 Members of the Storting 1981–1985 Members of the Storting 1985–1989 {{Norway-politician-1950s-stub