Inga Margarethe Thorsson, née ''Sjöbäck'' (3 July 1915 – 15 January 1994) was a Swedish politician (

Social Democrat Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

). Thorsson held various significant roles throughout her career in both national and international spheres. She served as the secretary and later the chairperson of Social Democratic Women in Sweden, and held leadership positions in social welfare and foreign affairs. Thorsson was the Swedish ambassador to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

from 1964 to 1966 and later directed the Social Development Division at the UN

Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs The Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (CSDHA) was the division of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), responsible for coordination of all issues related to social policy within the United Nations sys ...

. She also chaired multiple Swedish committees, including those related to health, environmental issues, and disarmament. Thorsson represented Sweden in the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

and served as a delegate to several UN bodies, playing a key role in international disarmament and development initiatives. Her international influence extended to leadership roles in various UN committees and peace organizations, emphasizing her commitment to disarmament and global peace efforts.

Early life

Thorsson was born on 3 July 1915 in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, Sweden, the son of Eduard Sjöbäck and his wife Edith (née Bagger-Jörgensen). She passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' in 1933, attended the Royal Advanced Female Teachers' Seminary in 1936 and the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute in 1938.

Career

Leadership Roles and Diplomatic Service

Thorsson was the secretary of the Co-operative Women's Guild Association (''Kooperativa Kvinnogillesförbundet'') from 1939 to 1940, in the Social Democratic Women in Sweden from 1940 to 1943, and in the 1941 population inquiry from 1943 to 1945. She was political secretary in the Social Democratic Women in Sweden from 1950 to 1952 and its chairperson from 1952 to 1964. Thorsson was commissioner (''borgarråd'') in the social welfare department from 1958 to 1962, and expert at the

Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral rela ...

from 1962 to 1963. She was then Swedish ambassador in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

from 1964 to 1966, and had a special assignment at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from 1966 to 1967. She was the director of the

's Social Development Division from 1967 to 1970, expert at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from 1970 to 1973, and chairperson of the

Swedish Institute The Swedish Institute (, ) is a government agency in Sweden with the responsibility to spread information about Sweden outside the country. It exists to promote Swedish interests, and to organise exchanges with other countries in different ar ...

in Stockholm from 1970 to 1973. Furthermore, Thorsson was the chief negotiator regarding international population and environmental issues from 1972 to 1975, and chairperson of the Swedish delegation at the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva from 1974 to 1982.

Chairmanship and membership

Thorsson was a member of the Stockholm City Council (''Stockholms stadsfullmäktige'') from 1950 to 1958, a member of the

National Swedish Board of Health The National Swedish Board of Health () was a Swedish government agency between 1878 and 1968, with responsibility for the health and medical services and the pharmacy services. All the activities in the field of public health in Sweden (including m ...

's Social Psychiatry Board (''Medicinalstyrelsens socialpsykiatriska nämnd'') from 1947 to 1952, the National Swedish Price Control Board (''Statens priskontrollnämnd'') from 1950 to 1956, the National Swedish Price and Cartel Office (''Statens pris- och kartellnämnd'') in 1957, the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO (''Svenska Unescorådet'') from 1954 to 1963, the Committee for International Aid's council (''Nämnden för internationellt bistånd'') from 1962 to 1963, the delegation for international social policy cooperation from 1955 to 1958, the 1950 Abortion Inquiry from 1950 to 1953, the committee for reviewing health and medical care in Sweden from 1954 to 1963, the stabilization inquiry from 1955 to 1958, the mental health care delegation from 1955 to 1958 (chairman from 1957 to 1958), chairman of the family counseling committee from 1955 to 1957, government expert at the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

from 1950 to 1952, delegate to the

in 1966 and from 1970 to 1982, and to the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

in 1967 and from 1970 to 1972, and the United Nations Population Commission from 1972 to 1975. Sha was a member of parliament for the

Swedish Social Democratic Party The Swedish Social Democratic Party, formally the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party ( , S or SAP), usually referred to as The Social Democrats ( ), is a social democratic political party in Sweden. The party is member of the Progressiv ...

from 1957 to 1958 and from 1971 to 1979, vice chairman of the hospital board (''sjukhusdirektionen'') from 1957 to 1958, member of the investigation on the costs of environmental protection from 1971 to 1973, delegate at the

United Nations Conference on the Human Environment The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm, Sweden, during June 5–16, 1972. When the United Nations General Assembly decided to convene the 1972 Stockholm Conference, taking up the offer of the Government of S ...

in 1972, chairman of the Swedish National Committee for United Nations world population conferences from 1972 to 1974, member of the Energy Program Committee from 1974 to 1975, delegation for energy research from 1975 to 1976, chairman of the board at the Secretariat for Future Studies from 1975 to 1976, board member from 1976 to 1980, special investigator on the link between disarmament and development from 1983 to 1985, and board member of the

United Nations Institute for Training and Research The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations system. UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries with special attention ...

(UNITAR) from 1973 to 1982. Thorsson held several different international assignments, including president at the first

Non-Proliferation Treaty The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperatio ...

Review Conference, chairman of the UN General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on the Strengthening of the Role of the United Nations in the Field of Disarmament in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1976, chairman of the UN Group of Government Experts on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development, chairman of the UN Panel of Eminent Personalities in the Field of Disarmament and Development in 1986, member of the RIO Group (Reshaping the International Order) from 1974 to 1976, vice chairman of the RIO Foundation from 1976 to 1980, member of the executive committee of the International Foundation for Development Alternatives (IFDA) from 1975, board member of the

Society for International Development The Society for International Development (SID) was founded in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1957. SID has a network of individual and institutional members, local chapters and partner organisations, in more than 80 countries. It works with m ...

from 1982 to 1988, chairman of the Great Peace Journey (''Den Stora Fredsresan'') from 1984 to 1989,

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade a ...

from 1988 to 1991, and member of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's Scientific Council from 1992.

Personal life

In 1944, she married social counsellor (1895–1979). Their son, Leif Thorsson (born 1945) was justice of the

Supreme Court of Sweden The Supreme Court of Sweden (, HD) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and wit ...

from 1993 to 2012.

Awards and honours

H. M. The King's Medal H. M. ( His Majesty) The King's Medal (), earlier known as the Court Medal (), is a Swedish honour that may be bestowed upon Swedish and foreign citizens. The medal was created in 1814 and is awarded in different sizes in gold and silver with chai ...

, 12th size gold (silver-gilt) medal worn around the neck on the Order of the Seraphim ribbon (1990) *Honorary Doctor of Philosophy,

University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg () is a List of universities in Sweden, university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current List of universities in Sweden#Public universities, S ...

(1987)