Monday 8 March 2021 at 16.00-18.00 (Helsinki time, UTC/GMT +2 hours)
Lämpimästi tervetuloa naisjärjestöjen yhteiseen kansainvälisen naistenpäivän tilaisuuteen!
Welcome to our 15th INTERNATIONAL HELVI SIPILÄ SEMINAR. This year the seminar will be held as a webinar (Zoom) from Helsinki, Finland.
International Helvi Sipilä Seminar at the CSW since 2006
Helvi Sipilä was a Finnish lawyer, diplomat and the first female Assistant Secretary-General of the UN. Sipilä received numerous national and international awards including twelve honorary doctorates, and she was granted the honorary title of Minister in 2001. Helvi Sipilä also held leadership position in several associations, including the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, International Federation of Women Lawyers and the International Council of Women. Helvi Sipilä’s profession in law was exceptional at the time. When she announced the opening of her own law firm in 1943, she became the second woman in the Finnish history to practice as a lawyer. She ran her own law firm for 30 years. Private entrepreneurship enabled her to engage in extensive social activities, including service as a member of governmental missions.
While Assistant Secretary-General, she was appointed Secretary-General of the UN World Conference on Women in Mexico 1975. She continued to work as a consultant for the UN until 1981, in order to promote the UN Voluntary Fund for the Advancement of Women, later known as UNIFEM, set up during the UN Decade for Women 1976 – 1985. Helvi Sipilä was a well-known and respected advocate for equality and women’s rights. Her important legacy will live on.
The first international Helvi Sipilä Seminar was organized at the CSW50 in 2006 by the Finnish Federation of University Women (FFUW) in collaboration with four other Finnish Women’s organizations to honor the work of Minister Helvi Sipilä.
PROGRAM
Chair of the seminar & opening
My Body is Mine! Women’s organizations countering the anti-gender movement
EVA BIAUDET, MP, President of the the National Council of Women of Finland
Finland’s commitments towards gender equality and women’s rights
THOMAS BLOMQVIST, Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality of Finland
Gender dimension – recognized risks of women and children in conflicts
HELENA RANTA, Professor at The Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Helsinki, Finland
Panelists
NIRMALA GURUNG, Coordinating Asia Region for a Reproductive rights and mental health initiative, World YWCA
TATIANA KOTLYARENKO, Advisor on Anti-Trafficking Issues at Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe at the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
YELIZ OSMAN, Policy Specialist, Ending Violence against Women at UN Women
VENLA ROTH, Ministerial Adviser, Department for Criminal Policy and Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Ministry of Justice, Finland
Closing
KATRI VIINIKKA, Ambassador for Gender Equality, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Jatkamme kello 17.30-18 vapaamuotoisella kansainvälisen naistenpäivän keskustelulla. Teemoina ovat:
- Mihin kansainvälistä naistenpäivää tarvitaan erityisesti vuonna 2021?
- Mikä merkitys kansainvälisen naistenpäivän vietolla on koronapandemian aikana?
Keskustelua johdattelee Suomen Akateemisten Naisten Liitto.
The webinar is organized jointly by Finnish Federation of Graduate Women, UN Women Finland, the Young Women’s Christian Association of Finland YWCA, Coalition of Finnish Women’s Associations – NYTKIS and National Council of Women of Finland.
