- Elisabeth Rehn
Märta Elisabeth Rehn (born
April 6 1935 inHelsinki ,Finland ) is a former MP of the Swedish People's Party and the first woman Minister of Defence in Finland. In the 1994 presidential elections she was narrowly defeated byMartti Ahtisaari .Elisabeth Rehn spent her childhood in
Mäntsälä , where her father worked as a community Medical Doctor. Rehn went to a local school inMäntsälä before entering a boarding school inGrankulla (fi. Kauniainen).Rehn received the degree of
Master of Science inEconomics in 1957 and hashonorary degrees inpolitical science from both Svenska handelshögskolan andÅbo Akademi . In the beginning of the 1960s Rehn was known to be the first person in Finland to import and market the plasticTupperware containers.Rehn had a high profile as the first female Minister of Defence in Finland. In 1995, during Rehn's term as Minister of Defence, a law on voluntary female enlistment was enacted. In recent years Rehn has been known for her international assignments, as
UN Under-Secretary General and as the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights inBosnia and Herzegovina .Rehn is a Member of the
Global Leadership Foundation , and organization which works to promote good governance around the world [ [http://www.g-l-f.org/pagebuilder.asp?id=239 Welcome to GLF Global Leadership Foundation ] ] .Rehn was married to "Ove Rehn" from 1955 until his death, and they have four children: Veronica, Joakim, Charlotta and Johan. Ove Rehn died
November 8 2004 .References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
