The Board of NOREF has appointed Johan Vibe as the Centre’s new Director. Vibe has a background from the Norwegian foreign service, where he has played an important role in leading and developing Norwegian efforts for peace and conflict resolution for a number of years.
“Johan Vibe's extensive professional background and broad managerial experience makes the Board confident that he is the right person to lead and further develop NOREF at a time of swift and dramatic geopolitical changes,” says NOREF's Chair of the Board, Kim Traavik.
Vibe is currently Norway's Ambassador in Rome, and he has previously served as Chief of Mission in Havana and as Ambassador in Madrid and Bogotá. He has extensive experience in working on peace and conflict resolution, including leading the Section for Peace and Reconciliation in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as from several diplomatic missions. From 2016 to 2018, he worked on the implementation of the peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC guerrillas.
“I look forward to being part of an exciting team, with broad knowledge and experience from conflict diplomacy in different regions,” says Johan Vibe. “The number of conflicts in the world is increasing. In addition to dramatic humanitarian consequences, we see how our security and the global order are threatened. It is meaningful to contribute to the work of strengthening diplomacy and conflict resolution.”
Vibe replaces Dag Nylander who will become Norway’s Ambassador in Mexico City after five years as NOREF's Director.
“The board thanks Dag Nylander for his efforts. Under his leadership, NOREF has consolidated its reputation as a central organisation in Norwegian and international work on conflict resolution. Nylander's professional authority and networks have contributed to strengthening NOREF as a highly-valued partner for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as for other actors in the field,” says Traavik.
The position of Director at NOREF is a four-year appointment. Johan Vibe will assume his new position in the second half of August 2025.