Sipilä, Helvi (1915–)

Finnish lawyer and feminist. Name variations: Helvi Sipila. Born Helvi Linnea Sipilä, May 5, 1915, in Helsinki, Finland; dau. of Vilho Sipilä and Sanni Maukola; attended University of Helsinki; m. Sauli Sipilä, in 1939; children: 1 daughter, 3 sons.

International advocate for women's rights, worked as an acting judge in Finland's rural districts (1941–42); served as secretary of Finland's Ministry of Supply (1943); opened her own law office (1943), only 2nd woman in Finland with a private practice; became president of International Federation of Women Lawyers (1954); served as chief commissioner of Finnish Girl Guides (1952–69); chaired the Finnish Refugee Council (1965–72); was a member of Finnish delegation to United Nations General Assembly (1966–72), member of the Council of the Human Rights Institute in Strasbourg (from 1969), and vice-president of the International Council of Women (from 1970); was Finnish representative to UN Commission on Status of Women (1960–68, 1971–72); became Assistant Secretary-General for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs at UN (1973), the 1st woman to hold that post; served as Secretary General for UN World Conference in Mexico City (1975); retired from UN (1980), though she remained active in the Finnish commission of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); became 1st woman to run for president of Finland (1981); spoke at opening ceremony of the 4th World Congress in Women in Beijing (1995). Received Commander of Finland's White Rose (1977), the Great Cross of Finland's Lion (1989), the inaugural Helvi Sipilä Award from US Committee for UNIFEM (1999), and International Bar Association's 1st lifetime achievement award for women, the Outstanding International Women's Award (2001).