Helvi Linnea Aleksandra Sipilä (née Maukola; 5 May 1915 – 15 May 2009) was a
Finnish diplomat, lawyer and politician. She was known as a promoter of
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
, and was the first-ever female
Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations. When Sipilä was appointed Assistant-Secretary-General in 1972, 97 per cent of United Nations senior management (D1 and above) was male. Sipilä also held a number of leadership positions in international civic organizations, including in the
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association that supports Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 153 countries. It was established in the year 1928 in Parád, H ...
, the
International Federation of Women Lawyers
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL), in Spanish (FIDA), is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that enhances the status of women and children by providing legal aid, legal literacy and education programs, and th ...
,
Zonta International
Zonta International is an international service organization with the mission of Building a Better World for Women and Girls, in support of Sustainable Development Goal 5. Alan Axelrod, ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Frate ...
and the
International Council of Women
The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating women's rights, human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington D.C ...
.
Sipilä began her career as a lawyer and opened her own legal office in 1943. As a UN Assistant Secretary-General, she was in charge of the Center for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs from 1972 to her retirement from the post in 1980. She organized the
first World Conference on Women
World Conference on Women, 1975 was held between 19 June and 2 July 1975 in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first international conference held by the United Nations to focus solely on women's issues and marked a turning point in policy directives ...
in 1975 and had a great influence on the United Nations' decision to celebrate the
Decade for Women and establish the
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in 1976.
In 1982, Sipilä became the first woman to run for
President of Finland
The president of the Republic of Finland (; ) is the head of state of Finland. The incumbent president is Alexander Stubb, since 1 March 2024. He was elected president for the first time in 2024 Finnish presidential election, 2024.
The presi ...
, as a candidate of the
Liberal People's Party. She held twelve honorary doctorates and was granted the title of Minister in 2001.
References
Further reading
Helvi Sipilä Biographyat UN Women, 20 May 2009
Helvi Sipilä Biographyat “100 faces of Finland” (in Finnish)
*Helvi Sipilä, “Changing Roles of Women in the Developing Regions of the World.” ''Journal of International Affairs''. Fall 76 / Winter 77, Vol. 30 Issue 2: 183–191.
*
20th-century Finnish diplomats
Liberals (Finland) politicians
1915 births
2009 deaths
Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations
20th-century Finnish lawyers
20th-century Finnish women politicians
Finnish officials of the United Nations
20th-century Finnish women lawyers
Finnish women diplomats
Zonta International people
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting
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