Helvi Sipilä – Past International President, 1968-1970

It is with great sadness I report that Minister Helvi Sipilä, Past International President and longterm
Zontian, passed away on Friday May 15, 2009.
 

Helvi Sipilä was noted internationally as the first woman to be appointed to the UN as Assistant
Secretary-General (appointed by Kurt Waldheim). She was head of the Branch for the
Promotion of Equality for Men and Women in the Centre for Social Development and
Humanitarian Affairs in the UN Office, Vienna, from 1972 to 1980. In 1978 the Branch was
renamed the Branch for the Advancement of Women (no doubt a new title influenced by the
formidable Helvi). Her other notable UN posts were as Secretary General of the first
International Women’s Year in Mexico City in 1975, and she was actively involved in the UN
Decade for Women, 1976-1985.
 

Born Helvi Maukola on 5 May 1915 in Helsinki, Helvi became a lawyer at age 27, then only the
38th woman in Finland to do so. She was the only child of successful farmers, and her
‘progressive’ parents brought her up to think independently. It is said that the seeds of peace
activism were sown early as Helvi experienced the transition in her country from being a Czarist
regime to a Republic, resulting in the Civil War of 1918 and its aftermath. Her marriage in
September, 1939, was celebrated at the same time as the outbreak of World War II. Her
philosophy was that “the only way to prevent war is to strive for justice in the world by reducing
discrimination and injustices.”
 

Helvi began her legal training at the Turku Appeal Court in March 1939 and, along with other
women jurists in Finland at that time, constituted a significant labour reserve at the courts when
men were forced to leave their civilian jobs. She got to sit as a judge at sessions in the Turku
Appeal Court as well as at district courts in outer municipalities to 1941, when this workload was
sufficient for her to be granted the title of Deputy Judge. From 1943 to 1972 she was an
attorney-at-law in her own office in Helsinki, with her four children being born between 1940 and
1949.
 

Her international activities began in 1960 as the Representative of Finland on the UN
Commission on the Status of Women 1960-68 and 1971-72, and as a member of the Finnish
delegation to the UN General Assembly, 1966-1971.
 

Other duties and posts within the UN framework included:

• Vice Chairman (1963-66) and then Chairman (1967), UN Commission of the Status of Women
• Vice Chairman (1969) then Chairman (1971),Third Committee (Social and Humanitarian
  Affairs) of the UN General Assembly
• Special Rapporteur on the Status of Women and Family Planning, UN, (1968-72)
• Consultant (to 1981) promoting the UN Voluntary Fund for the Advancement of Women (now
  UNIFEM).

The symbol developed to represent the IWY decade (1976-1985) became the symbol for
UNIFEM, and Helvi saw to it that it was legally copyrighted so that any use of it for commercial
purposes would raise funds for UNIFEM. Helvi founded the Finnish UNIFEM National
Committee in 1981, the first in the world.
 

One year later, in 1982, she was the first woman to contest for the Office of President of Finland.
 

Helvi’s membership of Zonta dates from 1 April 1950 and she was International President from
1968 to 1970. This period of her International Presidency coincided with her very active
participation as Special Rapportuer on the Status of Women in the UN. The Zonta International
project at the time was the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Vocational and Teacher Training
Centre for Women in Ramallah, Jordan (supported by ZI during 1962-1974) and in which Helvi
took great interest. Her role in the UN and in Zonta at that time certainly enhanced Zonta’s
prominence as an organisation committed to empowering the status of women.
 

Many Zontians all over the world have fond memories of Helvi not only as a Zontian and PIP, but
as a woman who was totally committed to improving women’s rights and peace in the world. By
her own admission she “started out as a female lawyer, but soon turned into a promoter of
women’s rights. This was primarily due to my practical experience of the weaker position of
women in society rather than any sentimented position” (Interview in Norden Newspaper, 2
March 2008). Apparently she had a reputation of being the husbands’s nightmare when she
handled divorce cases as a lawyer. She took no ‘backward steps’ in any of her roles and
believed that although women’s rights had been neglected in many societies (and still are), the
change had to start specifically with women.
 

From her early work as a lawyer, then through almost 50 years of involvement on the
international stage, she embodied all that is good in outstanding leaders and peace-loving
people. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, on hearing of her death, stated that “she was
a life-long champion of the rights of women and that she powerfully demonstrated the
effectiveness of women’s leadership.”
 

We in Zonta rejoice in Helvi Sipilä’s many achievements for women, and commit to continuing
her legacy through our work to improve the status of women everywhere. To live in hearts we
leave behind, is not to die. Helvi’s influence will continue in Zontian’s hearts for many years to
come.
 

To her family we express our heartfelt condolences.
 

Beryl Sten
President Zonta International

Acknowledgements:

Biografiakeskus, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, Helsinki.
Helsingin Sanomat, 5 May 2000
IWTC Women’s Globalnet, 19 May 2009
Norden Newspaper, 2 March 2006
The Finlander Forum, 13 March 2006
UN News Centre, 20 May 2009

Extract from ‘History of the Past International Presidents’ Bienniums
By Wilma E. Swantz, (1988)
 

HELVI SIPILÄ, Past International President 1968-70
“Widening Our Vistas in the Service of Mankind”
 

It was the first period in Zonta International’s history when a person from a country other than
the United States and Canada served as the International President.
 

A decision to that direction had actually been made when I was first elected as the Second Vice-
President in 1964. (No office of a President-Elect existed at that time.)
 

One of the doubts at that time had been the question of expenses in bringing the President to
meetings, including the District Conferences, from another continent “overseas”. The other
alternative had been thought to be the absence of an International President at Conferences and
Meetings.
 

The years from 1964 to 1968 had actually shown that there was no ground for either one of
these fears. I was internationally involved in many organizations, including my membership in
the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and my annual participation in the
Untied Nations General Assemblies as a member of Finland’s official delegation. For these
reasons, I was often travelling in other continents and staying annually in New York for a period
of three months (September – December) during the most important period of the Fall
Conferences in the United States and Canada. Actually I could accomplish a great deal in many
parts of the world with very little cost to Zonta International.
 

Among the highlights of my biennium I may mention: our promotion work (organization of Zonta
clubs) in Africa with the result that we were invited to participate in one of the most important
Conferences organized for the advancement of women in African countries; another result was
the Charter presentation to five Zonta clubs in Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria just prior to the
Convention in 1970; our continuous successful support for the vocational training of refugee girls
at Ramallah Centre in Jordan; the celebration of Zonta’s Golden Anniversary in 1969; the
celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first Zonta club in Europe in 1970; and the International
Convention in Chicago 1970, which appeared to be one of the happiest ones.
 

The most important thing for me personally was the feeling of confidence and of true sisterhood
among Zontians from many different countries and many different walks of life. For all that I
would still like to express my deep gratitude to all those with whom I had the privilege to work.
 

Extract from History of the Past International Presidents’ Bienniums, by Wilma E. Swantz,
(1988).
(Past International Presidents were asked to share their memories of being International
President – this is Helvi’s contribution.).