Astrid Thors is a lawyer, Finnish politician, and a former OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) from 2013 to 2016. She served as Finland’s Minister of Migration and European Affairs between 2007 and 2011, and has been a member of both the European Parliament (1996–2004) and the Finnish Parliament (2004–2013).
Since 2024, Thors has been Deputy President of Liberal International (LI), where she has also chaired the organization’s Human Rights Committee. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation in Uppsala, Sweden, and previously chaired the Finnish National Committee for UNICEF from 2000 to 2005.
Throughout her career, Thors has held numerous positions of trust related to human rights, minority rights, and international mediation. She chaired the Advisory Board on Human Rights of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and was a member of the Nordic Women’s Mediation Network from 2015 to 2022, serving for several years as chair of its Finnish chapter.
In addition, Thors has been actively engaged in governance in the fields of higher education and the visual and performing arts. Her roles include serving as Vice President of the Board of the University of the Arts Helsinki.
Earlier in her career, Thors worked at the Helsinki City Hall and at the Association of Finnish Local Authorities, where she served as Director and legal adviser. She has also acted as a political adviser to Finnish ministers and has been elected to the Helsinki City Council.