In Memorian Jonas Widgren

Jonas Widgren was the founder of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. He led the organisation as Director General until his suddden death in Rijeka, Croatia on 25 August 2004.

Born in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1944, he graduated from Stockholm University in 1967 (B.A. in philosophy). He then held various posts in the Swedish Ministries of Interior and Labour, among others as Secretary General (1971-1974) of the parliamentary Commission, which prepared the new Swedish policy of multiculturalism and as Director (1978-1982) of the immigration policy division of the Ministry of Labour. In 1982, the late Prime Minister Olof Palme appointed him Secretary of State at the Ministry of Labour, responsible for immigration to Sweden and for equality between women and men. As deputy to former Minister Anita Gradin he held this position until early 1987.

In April 1987, he joined UNHCR in Geneva as Senior Adviser to the High Commissioner for Refugees, to assist in finding solutions to the asylum crisis in Europe together with Governments concerned, in the framework of the informal consultations, which originally were initiated by the Swedish Government. The Secretariat for these consultations obtained a semi-independent status in 1991 through a special co-operation agreement between 16 Western Governments and UNHCR, and Jonas Widgren headed this Secretariat, as Co-ordinator for the Inter-governmental Consultations (IGC), until the spring of 1993.

In May 1993, Jonas Widgren was appointed Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Vienna.

Since the early 1970's, Jonas Widgren regularly acted as consultant on international refugee and migration matters to the UN, ILO, UNESCO, OECD, IOM, Council of Europe and other international organisations. In 1995-1998 he served as External Adviser to the Cabinet of the EU Commissioner responsible for immigration and asylum affairs. He chaired the OECD Working Party on Migration 1983-1987, and during his whole tenure as a Swedish Government official he represented Sweden in various inter-governmental fora. He published a many articles and studies on migration and asylum issues in Sweden and abroad and lectured widely in Europe and North America.