Helvi Linnea Aleksandra Sipilä (5 May 1915 – 15 May 2009) was a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 diplomat, lawyer and politician. She was known as a promoter of women's rights

Women's rights

Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...

, and was the first-ever female Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

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

The World Conference on Women was established in 1975 during the International Women's Year.The most recent conference was the Fourth World Conference on Women....

 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

President of Finland

The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....

, as a candidate of the Liberal People's Party. She held twelve honorary doctorates and was granted the title of Minister in 2001.