He has been appointed UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, replacing Nickolay Mladenov.[2]
He is currently Norway's Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process, including the responsibility for Norway's chairmanship of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) for Palestine. He was Norway's Representative to the Palestinian Authority from 2007 to 2011 and Norway's Ambassador to Egypt and Libya from 2012 to 2015.[3][4]