Tomas Magnusson, a well-known figure in the Nordic peace world, was elected President of the International Peace Bureau at the Triennial Assembly of the organization held in Helsinki in September 2006. Magnusson has a background in journalism and was several years Chairperson of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (Svenska Freds).

He currently directs the Goteborg Initiativet, a locally-based agency dealing with development aid and migrants. On hearing the result of the election, he responded:

“It is a great honour to be asked to chair such a long-standing and prestigious organization. The world faces extraordinary new security challenges and the international peace movement must work even harder to develop fresh and effective forms of cooperation.”

Magnusson took over from the previous President, Cora Weiss (USA), who came to the end of her six-year mandate at the September 6 meeting.

Tomas Magnusson

Born: 26th February, 1950
Address:
Södra Fiskebäcksvägen 192
SE-426 58 V Frölunda SWEDEN
Tel: +46 31 701 2081 (office)
+ 46 31 29 31 97 (home)
Email: tomas@initiativet.nu

Education:
Academic degree is in journalism, including political science.

Work experience:
Worked for 15 years as a journalist, on daily newspapers, both as writing journalist and as layouter, last position as assisting editor on two daily newspapers.

Worked for 9 years at the city council of Göteborg, with refugee empowering issues.
Since 1997 director of the Göteborg Initiative, an NGO in Göteborg, which is an umbrella organisations of old Swedish NGO:s (Red Cross, the Göteborg Christian Community etc) and new refugee community organisation (Bosnian, Somali, Iraqi, Afghan). We have aid/rebuilding programs in refugee home countries, we work with voluntary repatriation (returnees as an asset for development) and integration and empowerment issues in Sweden.

Peace and international work:
Presently no board positions in any Swedish peace movements, but elected representative for IPB by the Swedish Peace Council. Member of most Swedish peace organisations.

Activist since 1968 (when I was drafted and served one month in jail as a conscientious objector)

Past positions:
President of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration society between 1979-1985
Member of the board of Swedish Afghanistan Association
Member of the board of Journalists for Peace
International leader of the Social Democratic district organisation of Göteborg
Executive member of the Swedish Bosnian group within Social Democratic Party

Present engagements include:
Co-President of the Göteborg WMCA (a man and a woman are acting presidents)
President of the Folk High School of Angered (suburb of Göteborg)

Publications:
Writer of one book, a documentary novel on local resistance against military camp
enlargement (War against the Swedish Population), numbers of articles, reports etc.

Private:
Married, father of three daughters

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