Göncz worked as a psychiatrist between 1972 and 1978. Following this, she became a senior assistant at the National Medical Rehabilitation Institute, and took part in the development of the first social policyeducational programs. Since 1989 she worked as an associate professor at the Social Policy and Social Work Department of the Institute for Sociology of ELTE University, Budapest, teaching among others communication skills development, mediation and organization development. From 1994 to 2002 she worked as the Director of Partners Hungary. The organization is a member of Partners for Democratic Change International an international network, with the goal of the education of the culture of creative conflict management, techniques of democracy, negotiation techniques and change management. Within this, Göncz worked on the establishment of centers for the prevention and management of social conflicts in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and in the former Yugoslavia. She lectured at several universities abroad since 1990. Between 1998 and 2003, she taught the Social Psychology of Prejudice at the Human Rights Department at the Central European University.
Political career
Göncz was appointed Political State Secretary of the Ministry for Health, Social and Family Affairs responsible for civil co-ordination in 2002. She was responsible for: the elaboration of the system of keeping contacts with state and non-governmental social policy related organizations, the professional leading of the work for the amendment of the law on social affairs, and the heading of the National Council on Aging and Older People, the Social Council, the National Council for the Issues of Disabled Persons and the Ministry’s Tripartite Council for the Reconciliation of Interests. From 2004 she served as Minister without portfolio for equal opportunities, responsible for disabled persons, Romanis, the equal opportunities of women and men, co-operation with NGOs, and for the co-ordination of the fight against poverty and segregation. Between 2004 and 2006 she was the minister of youth, family, social affairs and equal opportunities in the first cabinet of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány. During her assignment at this position, she was responsible, besides the areas she managed as minister without portfolio for equal opportunities, for the heading of the welfare system, the system of family support, the area of caring for children and youth, the affairs of the elderly and pensions, the question of drugs, as well as consumer protection. From 2006 to 2009 she served as minister of foreign affairs.
