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.

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