| Sirpa Paatero | |
| Birth Date: | 9 September 1964 |
| Birth Place: | Karhula, Kymenlaakso, Finland |
| Office: | Minister of Local Government |
| Term Start: | 10 December 2019 |
| Term End: | 20 June 2023 |
| Primeminister: | Sanna Marin |
| Predecessor: | Anu Vehviläinen |
| Successor: | Anna-Kaisa Ikonen |
| Office2: | Minister of Local Government and Ownership Steering |
| Term Start2: | 6 June 2019 |
| Term End2: | 10 December 2019 |
| Primeminister2: | Antti Rinne |
| Predecessor2: | Anu Vehviläinen (local government) Mika Lintilä (ownership steering) |
| Successor2: | Tytti Tuppurainen (ownership steering) |
| Office3: | Minister for International Development |
| Term Start3: | 26 September 2014 |
| Term End3: | 29 May 2015 |
| Primeminister3: | Alexander Stubb |
| Predecessor3: | Pekka Haavisto |
| Successor3: | Lenita Toivakka |
| Party: | Social Democratic |
Sirpa Paatero (born 9 September 1964) is a Finnish politician of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who served as Minister of Local Government in the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin from 2019 to 2023.
In parliament, Paatero served on the Commerce Committee (2006–2014), the Defence Committee (2007–2009, 2015–2019), the Sub-Committee on Employment and Economy Affairs (2011–2014) and the Sub-Committee on Taxes (2012–2014), among others.[1] Paatero served as the Minister for International Development in Prime Minister Alexander Stubb's cabinet (2014–2015) and again in Antti Rinne's cabinet in 2019.[2] [3] She offered her resignation from the Rinne cabinet in November 2019 after failing to act to prevent state-owned postal services from cutting the pay of around 700 workers.[4] [5]
Paatero is also the chairman of the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation.