About Jan Egeland
Jan Egeland is a Norwegian diplomat, political scientist, humanitarian leader, and former Labour Party politician who has been Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council since 2013. He served as State Secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1997 and as United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from 2003 to 2006. Egeland first attracted attention as secretary general of the Norwegian Red Cross when he pioneered the fight against the proliferation of small arms and joined the international campaign against landmines. Initial response by the White House to Egeland's quote, taken out of context by the press as a direct attack on the United States (which at the time had donated $15 million), was very negative. Egeland's response, in an e-mail to NPR, was "I think it is hilarious with its crazy text and great tune." As of April 2024, the video has been viewed more than 20 million times. Egeland later served as chair of Amnesty International in Norway, and vice-chair of the international executive committee of Amnesty International, which he was elected on to at the age of 23, the youngest ever to hold the position.
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