Secretary General of the Olof Palme International Center. Ambassador and Special Adviser to the Swedish Government on Humanitarian Issues, 1994–2000. Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Human Rights in Cambodia (1996-2000). Swedish representative in the Refugee Working Group within the multilateral Middle East Peace Process, Special Coordinator for children and youth programmes. Personal Representative of the Swedish Prime Minister for the preparation of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children 2001. Member and vice-chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (1992-97, 1994-97). Chair, Technical Advisory Committee, UN Study on the Impact on Children of Armed Conflict (1994-96). Chairman of the International Executive Committee of Amnesty International (1976-79) and Secretary General (1980-86). Secretary General of Swedish Save the Children (1986-92). Previously teacher and journalist in Sweden (1969-79).

Publications include: Publications in Swedish on refugee policy, minority issues and xenophobia, human rights, the rights of the child, international affairs.