Dagfinn Høybråten, Norwegian political scientist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Health
Dagfinn Høybråten (born 2 December 1957) is a Norwegian politician. He was the leader of the Christian Democratic Party 2004–2011. He was also Parliamentary leader from 2005 when he was elected as Member of Parliament representing Rogaland. He was Vice President of the Norwegian Parliament from 2011 to 2013. He was President of the Nordic Council in 2007. Høybråten was granted leave from his duty as Member of Parliament from March 2013 to take up the position as Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers. He was elected board member of the GAVI Alliance in 2006 and chair of the board from 2011 to 2015.
In 2018 it was announced that Mr Høybråten will lead the "Truth and Reconciliation committee" regarding the discrimination of the indigenous Sami people in Norway up and until 1980.He was the chairman of the Young Christian Democrats (KrFU) in 1979–1982. Høybråten has been part of the political leadership of every Government the Christian Democratic Party has been part of since the early 1980s, first as a Political Adviser to Minister of Church and Education Kjell Magne Bondevik 1983–1986, later as State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance 1989–1990, Minister of Health 1997–2000 and 2001–2004 as well as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs 2004–2005.
Høybråten has also served as the Director General of Norway Social Security Administration 1997–2004, an executive director of the Norwegian Association of Local Government from 1990 to 1993 and a chief executive of the municipality of Oppegård 1994–1996. Høybråten holds a degree in political science from the University of Oslo.