Valgerd Svarstad Haugland

{{Short description|Norwegian politician (born 1956)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{BLP sources|date=January 2010}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Valgerd Svarstad Haugland

| image = Haugland.PNG

| office = County Governor of Østfold, Buskerud, Oslo and Akershus{{efn|Oslo and Viken between 2019 and 2024.}}

| term_start = 1 January 2019

| term_end = 31 December 2024

| monarch = Harald V

| primeminister = Erna Solberg
Jonas Gahr Støre

| predecessor = Herself, as county Governor of Oslo and Akershus, later Oslo and Viken

| successor = Ingvild Aleksandersen (acting)

| office1 = County Governor of Oslo and Akershus

| monarch1 = Harald V

| primeminister1 = Jens Stoltenberg
Erna Solberg

| term_start1 = 5 December 2011

| term_end1 = 31 December 2018

| predecessor1 = Hans J. Røsjorde

| successor1 = Herself, as Governor of Oslo and Viken

| office2 = Minister of Culture

| term_start2 = 19 October 2001

| term_end2 = 17 October 2005

| primeminister2 = Kjell Magne Bondevik

| predecessor2 = Ellen Horn

| successor2 = Trond Giske

| office3 = Leader of the Christian Democratic Party

| term_start3 = 24 March 1995

| term_end3 = 23 January 2004

| predecessor3 = Kjell Magne Bondevik

| successor3 = Dagfinn Høybråten

| office4 = Minister of Children and Family Affairs

| term_start4 = 17 October 1997

| term_end4 = 17 March 2000

| primeminister4 = Kjell Magne Bondevik

| predecessor4 = Sylvia Brustad

| successor4 = Karita Bekkemellem

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|08|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = Kvam, Hordaland, Norway

| party = Christian Democratic

| caption = Haugland in 2004

}}

Valgerd Svarstad Haugland (born 23 August 1956) is a Norwegian teacher, politician and civil servant.

She was leader of the Christian Democratic Party in Norway from 1995 to 2004. She was Minister of Children and Family Affairs from 1997 to 2000 and Minister of Culture from 2001 to 2005. Since 2019, she has been County Governor of Østfold, Buskerud, Oslo and Akershus.{{cite web | url = https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/statsforvalterstruktur/id3026736/ | title = Beholder dagens struktur og styrker statens tilstedeværelse | publisher = government.no | date = 23 February 2024 | access-date = 9 May 2024 | language = nb}}{{cite web | url= https://www.nrk.no/osloogviken/blir-fylkesmann-i-viken-og-oslo-1.13569329 | title= Blir fylkesmann i Viken og Oslo | publisher= NRK | language= no | date= 21 June 2017 | access-date= 29 September 2020}} Prior to that, she served as county Governor of Oslo and Akershus from 2011 to 2018. In May 2024, she announced that she wouldn't seek to be re-appointed county governor and would be leaving office by the end of the year.{{cite web | url = https://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/norge/2024/05/08/196000832/valgerd-svarstad-haugland-slutter-som-statsforvalter | title = Valgerd Svarstad Haugland slutter som statsforvalter | publisher = ABC Nyheter | date = 8 May 2024 | access-date = 9 May 2024 | language = nb}} She announced her resignation in December, just shy of the end of her term, following revelations of the lack of treatment of discrepancies in the counties' health sector.{{cite web | url = https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/lwlrze/statsforvalteren-i-oestfold-buskerud-oslo-og-akershus-trekker-seg | title = Statsforvalter trekker seg: –⁠ En meldt katastrofe | publisher = Verdens Gang | date = 18 December 2024 | access-date = 18 December 2024 | language = nb | first = Eric Kjerstad | last = Solheim | first2 = Hilde Kristine | last2 = Misje | first3 = Xueqi | last3 = Pang | first4 = Julie | last4 = Tran }}

In her capacity as Minister of Culture and Church Affairs, she gave volunteer work particular emphasis.

She withdrew as party leader at an extraordinary annual assembly of the party on 23 January 2004. She was primarily held responsible for the poor results during the last local election, held in September 2003. In the 2005 parliamentary elections she failed to win a seat in parliament.

Until 2010 she was a board member of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.{{cite news|url=http://www.nrk.no/informasjon/nyheter_om_nrk/1.7161705|title=William Nygaard ny styreleder i NRK|last=Didriksen|first=Nina|author2=Fenne, Marit |date=10 June 2010|publisher=Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|language=no|access-date=10 May 2011}}