Brundtland, Gro Harlem [key], 1939–, Norwegian political leader. She worked as a physician in the national health service until appointed (1974) minister of the environment. She became deputy leader of the Norwegian Labor party (1975) and was elected to parliament in 1977. Prime minister briefly in 1981, she resigned after an election setback and later gained recognition as chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development. In 1986–89 and 1990–96, she was again prime minister, leading minority governments. From 1998 to 2003 she served as director-general of the World Health Organization.
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