Dagfinn Høybråten

Early and personal life

Høybråten was born to churchwarden and politician Per Høybråten (1932–1990) and laboratory worker Åse Margrethe Hallen (born 1929). While he was born and grew up in Oslo, he lived for three years in Sandnes due to his father working there as a control veterinary. His father was politically active in the Christian Democratic Party, and was a State Secretary and deputy member of the Parliament of Norway from Oslo 1973–1977. Høybråten is married to his wife Jorun, and has four children.

Political career

Høybråten became active in politics at an early age, and became deputy chairman of the Young Christian Democrats 1978-1979 and chairman 1979-1982. He got his first experience from Parliament as a personal assistant to Parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Party, Lars Korvald. When the Christian Democrats joined Kåre Willoch's government in 1983 Høybråten became a Political Adviser for Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik in the Ministry of Church and Education until 1986. I Jan P. Syse's government 1989-1990 he was State secretary in the Ministry of Finance

He led the Ministry of Health and Care Services from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2001 to 2004. Following a 2004 Government reshuffle, Høybråten was transferred to lead the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. In 2004, he also assumed the leadership of the Christian Democratic Party.

As Minister of Health, Høybråten was noted for his campaign against tobacco smoking in public indoor places. It resulted in the adoption by Parliament of a bill banning smoking in restaurants, bars, and cafés that came into force June 1, 2014. Several European countries followed the Norwegian experiences closely, and planned for similar legislation. Between 2004 and 2011 about 100 countries across the globe adopted a similar legislation. Høybråtens efforts have been credited for reducing the smoking rates and improving public health in Norway. Initially, the bill sparked some controversy, however it became popular after it passed. Høybråten received LHL's honorary award in 2006 for his work in this field. Høybråten was critical of employers advertising positions for non-smokers, since his he felt the issue ought to be fighting tobacco and its adverse health effects, rather than discriminating against people who smoke.

When former leader Valgerd Svarstad Haugland and the rest of the Party leadership withdrew in 2004 after a poor result in the local elections in 2003, Høybråten was elected new party leader at an extraordinary Party Congress. He became Member of Parliament of Norway from Rogaland in 2005, and he then also became parliamentary leader for the Christian Democratic Parliamentary group. After a year in the Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs Committee he was from 2006 Member of the Committee of Foreign Affairs until he left Parliament. He was also President of the Nordic Council 2007–2008.

On October 2, 2010, Høybråten announced that he would not run for reelection as party leader at the 2011 party conference. He also announced that he would not run for a third term as member of Parliament in the 2013 general election. Knut Arild Hareide succeeded him from April 30, 2011. Høybråten was announced as the new secretary general of the Nordic Council of Ministers in September 2012 effective from 1 March 2013. He was granted a leave for the remainder of his term in parliament.

In 2016 he started to serve as Board member at the Board of International Advisors at the Fudan Development Institute in Shanghai.

Gavi - the Vaccine Alliance

Høybråten was elected Board Member of Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance in 2006. In the period 2011-2015 he served as Chair of the Gavi Alliance Board. He succeeded Mary Robinson, Graca Machel and Nelson Mandela in this position, and he is the longest serving Chair of the organisation. Gavi was set up in 2000 as a global Vaccine Alliance, bringing together public and private sectors with the shared goal of saving children’s lives and protecting people’s health by increasing access to immunisation in the world’s poorest countries.

In 2015, new figures documented that Gavi has helped vaccinate half a billion children and saved 7 million lives since the organisation was funded. During Høybråten’s term as Chair, Gavi – the Vaccine Alliance had two replenishment conferences to finance the global vaccination work. Both in London 2011 and in Berlin 2015 the donors exceeded the ask, and managed to raise respectively 4,3 and 7,539 billion USD.

Awards and decorations

In 1999 Høybråten was appointed as honorary president of Yiang Central Hospital in the Hunan province of China. The hospital was founded in 1906 by Høybråtens great grandfather, Jørgen Edvin Nielsen. Høybråten was awarded the Grand Cross of St. Olav in 2004. In 2005 Høybråten was awarded an honorary degree from Luther College in Iowa.