Hilkka Pietilä
Hilkka Pietilä | |
|---|---|
 Pietilä at a 2008 conference | |
| Born | March 13, 1931 |
| Died | December 18, 2016 (aged 85) Helsinki, Finland |
| Occupation | Secretary-general of the Finnish UN Association (1963–1990) |
Hilkka Maijaliisa Pietilä (March 13, 1931 – December 18, 2016) was a Finnish ecofeminist economist and activist. For 27 years, she served as secretary-general of the Finnish UN Association.
Early life and education
[edit]Hilkka Pietilä was born in 1931 in Kiikka, Finland, where her family lived on a small farm.[1][2][3]
In 1950, she began studying at the University of Helsinki, where she would graduate with a master's in agriculture and forestry, with a focus on household sciences, in 1956.[1][2][3]
Career
[edit]Pietilä first became involved in the Finnish UN Association in the late 1950s.[2] Beginning in 1963, she led the organization as secretary-general for 27 years.[1][2][4] She was also a longtime board member and honorary chair of the World Federation of United Nations Associations.[1]
During her long involvement in the United Nations system, she was particularly active on efforts to improve the status of women.[1][2] She was considered "one of the fore-mothers of ecofeminism."[2]
Pietilä wrote about women's rights, peace, and development.[1] As an economist, she argued that analyses of economic output left out the value of household labor and discounted women's contributions.[2] In 1981, alongside fellow economist Kyösti Pulliainen, she published a three-tiered theory of the economy that centered on the home in Suomen Kuvalehti.[2][5] Her books include Making Women Matter: The Role of the United Nations.[2]
In 1966, 1970, and 1983, Pietilä ran three unsuccessful campaigns for a seat representing Helsinki in the Finnish Parliament, as a member of the Centre Party.[1][2] After the 1983 election, she felt herself moving away from the Centre Party and chose to leave party politics entirely.[2] Domestically, she opposed her country's accession to the European Union.[1][2]
After leaving the Finnish UN Association in 1990, she worked as an independent researcher and activist.[1]
Death and legacy
[edit]Pietilä died in Helsinki in 2016, at age 85.[1][3][6] A fund named in her honor, established by the Finnish UN Association in 2014, offers grants for UN-related research.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Salokorpi, Jussi (2016-12-19). "YK-liiton entinen pääsihteeri Hilkka Pietilä on kuollut". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Salleh, Ariel (June 2006). ""We in the North are the Biggest Problem for the South"" (PDF). Capitalism Nature Socialism. 17 (2): 44–61. doi:10.1080/10455750600704505. ISSN 1045-5752.
- ^ a b c "Hilkka Pietilä 1931–2016". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ^ "Generalsekreterare Hilkka Pietilä". Yle Arenan (in Swedish). 1991-06-06. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ^ J.Bell, David V.; Cheung, Yuk-kuen Annie (2009-06-16). Introduction to Sustainable Development - Volume I. EOLSS Publications. ISBN 978-1-84826-222-5.
- ^ "Hilkka Pietilä död". Vasabladet (in Swedish). 2016-12-19. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
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