Helvi Sipilä

Helvi Linnea Aleksandra Sipilä was a Finnish diplomat, lawyer and politician. She was known as a promoter of women's rights, 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 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 International Federation of Women Lawyers, Zonta International and the International Council of Women.