Jens Stoltenberg was the first Prime Minister of Norway from 2000 to 2001.
 His father, Thorvald Stoltenberg (19312018), was a prominent Labour party politician and diplomat who served as an ambassador, as defence minister and as foreign minister
 Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, took the initiative to appoint Stoltenberg as secretary-general, securing the support first of the United States, then of the United Kingdom, and then of all other member states

