Monika Griefahn, Mitglied des Deutschen Bundestages a. D.

Curriculum Vitae

Date of Birth:
October 3, 1954 in Mülheim-Ruhr, Germany
married, 3 children
1961 - 1965
elementary school, Mülheim-Ruhr
1965 - 1973
municipal grammar school stressing modern languages, "Luisenschule", Mülheim-Ruhr, graduation (Abitur)
1973 - 1983
German-French Youth Organisation
Director of adult education for trade unions and church organisations, seminars in France and Germany
1973 - 1979
Universities of Göttingen and Hamburg
Sociology and Mathematics, MA in Sociology
1980 - 1982
YMCA Hamburg, Germany
Executive Director of education and training
1980 - 1983
Greenpeace Germany
Co-founder and Executive Director of Greenpeace Germany
Responsible for campains against chemical pollution and for the protection of the North Sea as well as other environmental issues
1984 - 1990
Greenpeace International
Member of the Board of Directors
Responsible for developing training programs and new offices in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union
1990 - 1998
Minister of Environmental Affairs in Lower Saxony, Germany
Since 1994
additionally: member of the state parliament off Lower Saxonia, constituency: Hildesheim
Since September 1998
Member of the German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag), directly elected in District 36 (Soltau-Fallingbostel/Winsen a.d. Luhe), Lower Saxony
Member of the Commitee on Foreign Affairs
Member of the Committee on Culture and the Media

Parliamentary functions

  • Member of the Committee on Culture and Medias
  • Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Member of the Sub-Committee on cultural policy abroad and education policy and new media
  • Member of the Sub-Committee on new media
  • Speaker of the parliamentary group of the SPD for the Committee on Cultural and the Media Affairs
  • Rapporteur for the Working Group on Cultural and Media Affairs of the SPD parliamentary group
    • external cultural policy
    • Deutsche Welle
    • German- French Working Group on Cultural Diversity
    • Music
    • Film
    • Net price system for books
  • Rapporteur for the Working Group on Foreign Affairs of the SPD parliamentary group
    • external cultural and educational policy
    • Media Affairs
    • France
    • India
    • Interparliamentary Union
    • International environment politics
  • Deputy Chair of the of the German-French Parliamentarian’s Group
  • Vice Chair of the SPD in the Interparliamentary Union
  • Member of the German OSCE delegation
  • Alternate member in the Advisory Committee for Arts of the Bundestag

SPD Functions

  • Member of the board of directors of the SPD Cultural Forum
  • Member of the SPD Commission on Media
  • Vice-President of the subdistrict Harburg
  • Parliamentary friendship group on Cuba of the SPD parliamentary group and Latin-America
  • Added Member of the county council of the district Harburg

Other functions

  • Right Livelihood Award, Stockholm (Alternative Nobel Prize)
  • Member of the board of directors and the jury Music Community in the German Parliament
  • Chair Administrative board of the „Deutsche Welle“ Germany´s international broadcaster
  • Vice Chairperson Member of the Administrative council of the German Federal Film Board
  • Member of the Preselection Jury of the German Film Price
  • Council of the Society for Cultural Policy Member
  • Member of the Council of the „Foundation Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe“
  • Board of F.C. Flick Foundation against xenophobia, racism and intolerance
  • Vice Chair „Heinz-Galinski Foundation“
  • Member of the board of trustees German UNESCO commission
  • Member Adenauer-de-Gaulle-Prize
  • Member of the jury German Phono Academy
  • Member Friends of the Rias Youth Orchestra
  • Chairperson Initiator of the initiative „Gesicht zeigen“ against intolerance, racism and xenophobia

Other memberships

  • Amnesty International
  • Unicef
  • "Sozialverband Deutschland e.V" (=socio-political association)
  • "Arbeiterwohfahrt" (= workers welfare association)
  • IG-Bau (=construction workers-union)
  • "die Falken" (=german social democrats youth organization)
  • ADFC
  • and others

Selected speeches of Monika Griefahn