Elisabeth Rehn

Elisabeth Rehn
Rehn at the in , 2015
Minister of Defence
In office 1990–1995
Prime Minister	Harri Holkeri Esko Aho
Preceded by	Ole Norrback
Succeeded by	Jan-Erik Enestam
Undersecretary General of the United Nations
In office 1995–1999
Preceded by	Kofi Annan
Personal details
Born	Märta Elisabeth Carlberg (1935-04-06) 6 April 1935 (age 82) Helsinki, Finland
Political party	Swedish People's Party
Spouse(s)	Ove Rehn (1955-2004; his death)
Children	4

Märta Elisabeth Rehn (née Carlberg) (born 6 April 1935) is a former MP of the Swedish People's Party and the first female minister of defence in Finland. In the 1994 presidential elections she was narrowly defeated by Martti Ahtisaari.

Rehn was born on 6 April 1935 in Helsinki, Finland. She spent her childhood in Mäntsälä, where her father worked as a community medical doctor. Rehn went to a local school in Mäntsälä before entering a boarding school in Kauniainen.

Rehn received the degree of master of science in economics in 1957 and has honorary degrees in political science from both Hanken School of Economics and Åbo Akademi University. In the beginning of the 1960s Rehn was known to be the first person in Finland to import and market the plastic Tupperware containers.

Rehn was the parliamentary leader of the Swedish People's Party from 1987 to 1990. She was appointed defence minister in 1990 and held the post until 1995. In addition, she served as the minister of equality from 1991 to 1995. Next she was a member of the European Parliament from 1995 to 1997. In the 1994 and 2000 presidential elections, she ran for the office.

She had a high profile as the first female Minister of Defence of Finland. In 1995, during Rehn's term as minister of defence, a law on voluntary female enlistment was enacted. Rehn is known for her international assignments as UN Undersecretary General (1995 - 1999) and as the special rapporteur for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998-1999).