Märta Elisabeth Rehn (; born 6 April 1935) is a Finnish former politician and diplomat. She served as the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

of Finland during 1990 to 1995 and as an

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a renewable term of four years. Under ...

during 1998 to 1999. She was also a member of the

Finnish Parliament The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

and parliamentary leader of the Swedish People's Party of Finland, and a

member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

Early life and education

Rehn was born on 6 April 1935 in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

, Finland. She spent her childhood in Mäntsälä, where her father worked as a community medical doctor. Rehn went to a local school in Mäntsälä before entering a boarding school in

Kauniainen Kauniainen (; sv, Grankulla) is a small town and a municipality of inhabitants () in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. It is surrounded and enclaved by the City of Espoo, in the Capital Region of Greater Helsinki. Kauniainen was founde ...

. Rehn received a master of science degree in economics from

Hanken School of Economics Hanken School of Economics (Swedish: ''Svenska handelshögskolan,'' also known as Hanken) is a business school in Finland with two locations, Helsinki and Vaasa. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest business school in Finland, and one of the oldest ...

in 1957 and has

honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from both Hanken School of Economics and

Åbo Akademi University Åbo Akademi University ( sv, Åbo Akademi , ) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activiti ...

and an honorary doctorate in military science from the National Defence University. In the early 1960s, she was recognized as the first person in Finland to import and market plastic

Tupperware Tupperware is an American home products line that includes preparation, storage, and serving products for the kitchen and home. In 1942, Earl Tupper developed his first bell-shaped container; the brand products were introduced to the public in 1 ...

containers.

Career

Rehn was first elected as a member of parliament for

Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, ...

in 1979. She was the parliamentary leader of the Swedish People's Party of Finland from 1987 to 1990. She was appointed as Minister of Defence to the

Holkeri Cabinet The cabinet of Harri Holkeri was the 64th government of Finland, which existed from 30 April 1987 to 26 April 1991. It was a majority government formed by the National Coalition Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Swedish People's Party, and ...

, succeededing

Ole Norrback Johan Ole Norrback (born 18 March 1941) is a Finland-Swedish politician and diplomat. Norrback was born in Övermark. He graduated as a primary school teacher in 1965 and was the ombudsman for the Sfp, Swedish People's Party in Ostrobothnia be ...

, in 1990. Upon her assumption of office on 13 June 1990, she became the first female defence minister of a European nation and the sixth in the world. When

Esko Aho Esko Tapani Aho (born 20 May 1954) is a Finnish politician who was prime minister of Finland from 1991 to 1995. Early life and career Aho was born in Veteli, Finland. Prior to attending university, he began a career in politics. From 1974 t ...

succeeded

Harri Holkeri Harri Hermanni Holkeri (; 6 January 1937 – 7 August 2011) was a Finnish statesman representing the National Coalition Party of Finland (Kokoomus / Samlingspartiet). He was the Prime Minister of Finland 1987–1991, president of the UN Gen ...

Prime Minister of Finland The prime minister of Finland ( fi, Suomen pääministeri; ) is the leader of the Finnish Government. The prime minister and their cabinet exercise executive authority in the state. The prime minister is formally Finnish order of precedence, r ...

in 1991, Rehn was retained as defence minister and, in addition, was appointed Minister of Equality Affairs in the

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health ( fi, Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö , sv, Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet) is a Finnish government ministry tasked with the planning and implementation of policies regarding the social affairs and ...

. During her tenure in office, a law was passed permitting women to perform voluntary national military service. Her popularity in office led to the Swedish People's Party candidacy in the 1994 Finnish presidential election. She earned enough votes in early elections to make it to the final round, in which she faced diplomat

Martti Ahtisaari Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (; born 23 June 1937) is a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland (1994–2000), a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediator noted for his international peace work. Ahtisa ...

of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. She received 46.1% of the final vote. Rehn was appointed a

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

(MEP) for Finland during the 1995–1996 period of the Fourth European Parliament, a position established as part of the

1995 enlargement of the European Union The 1995 enlargement of the European Union saw Austria, Finland, and Sweden accede to the European Union (EU). This was the EU's fourth enlargement and came into effect on 1 January of th ...

. Her term began on 1 January 1995 and she remained in office until 10 November 1996. On 27 September 1995, the

Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-g ...

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...

, appointed Rehn as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Republic of Croatia, FRY,

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, and

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

– collectively, the states comprising the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. After several years as Special Rapporteur, she was appointed an

, with the specific assignment of

Special Representative of the Secretary-General A Special Representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent them in meetings with heads of state on critical human rights issues. The representati ...

and Coordinator of the

United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) was an international organization formed under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1035 on 21 December 1995. It completed its mandate on 31 December 2002, when it was succeed ...

, an office she held during 16 January 1998 to 15 July 1999. While on assignement, she was one of the earliest observers to visit the mass graves of the

Srebrenica massacre The Srebrenica massacre ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Masakr u Srebrenici, Масакр у Сребреници), also known as the Srebrenica genocide ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Genocid u Srebrenici, Геноцид у Сребрен ...

Other activities

Elisabeth Rehn and Lamija Tanović were the key founding members and patrons of the

United World College United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." The organization was founde ...

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Rehn was a member of the

Global Leadership Foundation The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization consisting of a network of former heads of state/government and other distinguished leaders (GLF Members), who seek to assist developing countries in improving gov ...

(GLF) until November 2017. GLF is an organization which works to support democratic leadership, prevent and resolve conflict through mediation and promote good governance in the form of democratic institutions, open markets, human rights and the rule of law. It does so by making available, discreetly and in confidence, the experience of former leaders to today’s national leaders. It is a non-profit organization composed of former heads of government, senior governmental and international organization officials who work closely with heads of government on governance-related issues of concern to them.

Memberships and NGO positions

European Leadership Network European Leadership Network (ELN) is a pan-European think-tank focusing on European foreign, defence and security issues based in London, United Kingdom. The ELN's Director is Sir Adam Thomson, former UK Permanent Representative to NATO. Histo ...

* Femmes Africa Solidarité, Advisory Board member, 2005– * Finnish Red Cross, Vice-chair, 1984–1988 * Global Leadership Foundation, –2017 * Intellibridge, Advisory Council member *

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

, Trust Fund for Victims, Board of Directors member *

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

, Court of Conciliation and Arbitration of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe member, 1994– * Regional Women's Lobby South Eastern Europe, Advisory Board member *

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

, Finnish Committee member, 1982–1994 ** Chair of the Standing Group of the National Committees of UNICEF, 1988–1993 * UNIFEM ** Independent expert on women's role in peace-building, 2001–2003 ** Global study on the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1325, High Level Advisory Group member, 2015 * UNIFEM Finland, Vice-chair of the Board, 2003–2005 * WWF Finland, Chair of Board of Trustees, 2000–2006 *

Zonta International Zonta International is an international service organization with the mission of advancing the status of women. Alan Axelrod, ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders'', New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1997, p. 271. ...

, International Honorary Member Sources:

Works

* * *

Personal life

Rehn was married to

Ove Rehn Ove or OVE may refer to *Ove (given name) *Ové, a surname *Ove Peak in Antarctica *''A Man Called Ove (novel)'', a novel by Fredrik Backman *'' A Man Called Ove'', a 2015 Swedish film based on the novel *Danish Organisation for Renewable Energy (O ...

from 1955 until his death in 2004, and they have four children: Joakim, Charlotta, Johan, and

Veronica Rehn-Kivi Veronica Rehn-Kivi (born 10 February 1956) is a Finnish politician, representing the Swedish People's Party. She was born in Helsinki, and became a member of the Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and ...

, a member of parliament. Rehn is a two-time

cancer survivor A cancer survivor is a person with cancer of any type who is still living. Whether a person becomes a survivor at the time of diagnosis or after completing treatment, whether people who are actively dying are considered survivors, and whether ...

. She recovered from colon cancer in the 1990s and was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

in 2000.

Honours and awards

Honours

National honours

* :

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin ritarikunta; sv, Frihetskorsets orden) is one of three official state orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. Organisation ...

, 1st class (2002)

Foreign honours

* :

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana ( et, Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, sometimes translated as the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of t ...

, 1st class (2003)

Awards

* – Gold (see Axel Olof Freudenthal), Swedish People's Party of Finland (1994) * Honorary Doctorate in Political Science,

(1994) * (see Fredrika Runeberg), Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland (1996) * Sibelius Medal, Lions Club Jean Sibelius in

Järvenpää Järvenpää (; sv, Träskända) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located on the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway track in Uusimaa region, some north of Helsinki. Neighbouring municipalities are Tuusula, Sipoo and Mäntsälä. People ...

(2 January 1996) * Honorary Doctorate in Political Science,

(1998) * ,

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal positio ...

(2013) * Honorary Doctorate in Military Science, National Defence University (2013)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rehn, Elisabeth 1935 births Living people Candidates for President of Finland Diplomats from Helsinki Female defence ministers Finnish politicians Finnish women diplomats Hanken School of Economics alumni Members of the Parliament of Finland (1979–83) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1983–87) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1987–91) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1991–95) Ministers of Defence of Finland Politicians from Helsinki Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Swedish People's Party of Finland MEPs Swedish People's Party of Finland politicians Swedish-speaking Finns Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations United Nations experts United Nations special rapporteurs Women government ministers of Finland Women members of the Parliament of Finland 20th-century women MEPs for Finland