General Secretary, World Council of Churches

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit was elected general secretary of the World Council of Churches in August 2009 and installed in January 2010. An ordained minister in the Church of Norway, Dr Tveit has led the 350-member fellowship of Christian churches from 110 countries, representing about 550 million Christians, in its perennial mission of fostering unity among the churches and peace and justice in the wider society. In 2013 he presided over the 10th assembly, in Busan, Republic of Korea, and since then has energized the churches and others to join in its “Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace,” engaging the churches and partners in peacemaking and peace-building around the world. Interreligious dialogue has figured largely in his tenure, through growth in the WCC’s programme on Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, heightened efforts for peace in Israel/Palestine; partnering with Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Cairo in dialogical and educational initiatives; and partnering with Prof. Dr H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan and others to establish a center for interreligious cooperation in peacekeeping and peacemaking in Nigeria. Before taking up the post of general secretary, Tveit served the WCC as a member of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission and as a co-chair of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum core group. In his home country, Tveit served as a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Christian Council of Norway, moderator of the Church of Norway - Islamic Council of Norway contact group and the same for the Jewish Congregation contact group. He also was a member of the Inter-Faith Council of Norway and a member of the board of trustees of Norwegian Church Aid. Biography as at 17.10.17