Marita Sørheim-Rensvik

Thematic expertise: Women, peace and security (i.e. security more broadly – DDR, SSR, PVE/CVE etc.), mediation, human rights, development, AU and sub-regional organisations

Geographic expertise: Southern and Central Africa + countries where Norway has had particular work on WPS, amongst other Afghanistan, Colombia, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Palestine, the Philippines, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen

Languages: English, French, German

Since January 2021, Marita Sørheim-Rensvik has been the Deputy Director in the Section for Southern and Central Africa and the African Union in the Norwegian MFA. Recruited to the Norwegian Foreign Service in 2006, she has amongst other worked on human rights and gender, climate change, food security and African affairs in different capacities. She has been posted in Lilongwe and Washington DC, and has served as the former Minister of Foreign Affairs’ speech writer. Prior to her present position, she was Norway’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security for more than five years, involved in bilateral, regional and multilateral processes related to women’s participation and rights in peace processes, peace building, humanitarian work and international operations. She is a member of the Nordic Network of Women Mediators and played a key role in establishing the global network. Before 2006, Marita worked as a reverend and hospital chaplain. She served as an elected member of the National Council of Churches. Marita holds a Master of Education and Development from University of Bristol and Oslo College, and has undertaken field studies in Uganda and Nepal. She is a theologian from the Faculty of Theology in Oslo.