Torild Skard

Torild Skard (born 29 November 1936) is a Norwegian psychologist, politician for the Socialist Left Party, a former deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a former chairman of UNICEF.

She served as a Member of Parliament for Akershus, president of its Upper Chamber and deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Justice from 1973 to 1977. She served as director for Questions relating to the Status of Women of UNESCO 1984–1986 and regional director for West and Central Africa at UNICEF 1994–1998. She was chairman of the international UNICEF executive board 1988–1989. She has also served as director-general for development cooperation, deputy permanent secretary responsible for development cooperation and special adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has been a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Skard has been described as "an icon of Norwegian feminism." She was president of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights from 2006 to 2013, and also served as vice chair of the Forum for Women and Development during this period. She has written several books, including Continent of Mothers, Continent of Hope (2003) on African development and Women of Power (2014) on female heads of state or government worldwide.

Personal life She was born in Oslo as a daughter of professor Sigmund Skard (1903–1995) and associate professor Åse Gruda Skard (1905–1985). She is a sister of Anne Skard, Halvdan Skard and Åsmund Skard and twin sister of Målfrid Grude Flekkøy. Through her mother, she is a granddaughter of the historian and former minister of foreign affairs Halvdan Koht and the feminist pioneer Karen Grude Koht, and through her father she is a granddaughter of the superintendent of schools Matias Skard and Gyda Skard,

However, her career as a researcher was interrupted by her political career. She was originally a member of the Labour Party, but as leader of the Socialist Student Group she was excluded in 1959 together with most of the group, because they were opposed to the Labour Party's western-aligned foreign policy and Norway's NATO membership. She co-founded the Socialist People's Party in 1961. She was secretary for the party parliamentary group from 1962 to 1963,

Honours Commander of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal, 1998 Commander of the Order of St. Olav of Norway, 2012 Named one of the "100 most important women" in Norwegian history by the newspaper Verdens Gang, 2013 Honorary member of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights, 2014

A painting of Torild Skard by Sonja Krohn (2001) is on permanent display in the Parliament of Norway Building.

Select bibliography In English Unfinished Democracy - Women in Nordic Politics (co-author, Pergamon, 1985), also published in Nordic edition Continent of Mothers, Continent of Hope: Understanding and Promoting Development in Africa Today (Zed Books, 2003), also published in Norwegian, German, French and Dutch editions Getting Our History Right: How Were the Equal Rights of Women and Men Included in the Charter of the United Nations? Forum for Development Studies 1/2008 Gender in the Malestream - Acceptance of Gender Equality in Different United Nations Organisations, Forum for Development Studies 1/2009 Women of Power: Half a Century of Female Presidents and prime ministers Worldwide (Policy Press, 2014), originally published in Norwegian by Universitetsforlaget (2012)

In Norwegian only Ny radikalisme i Norge (1967) Hva skjer med grunnskolen? (1971) Verksted for selvtillit (1973) Det er Oslo som ligger avsides (1974) Halve jorden - innføring i kvinnepolitikk (1977) «Kvinnekupp» i kommunene (ed.) (1979) Utvalgt til Stortinget (1980) Hverdag på Løvebakken (1981) Det koster å være kar (1984) Norske kommunestyrer (with O. Hellevik 1985)