MADAME LIISA KIIANLINNA
FINLAND

Former Judge of Kuopio Administrative Court

BIODATA

She graduated from the University of Helsinki in December 1967 with a Finnish Master´s Degree in Law. She has a distinguished almost 45 year- career in Administrative Court in Helsinki and Kuopio. In 1976 she moved from the capital to the city surrounded by Lake Kallavesi. Then she decided not to isolate and she got plenty of organizational activities. Emphasizing the importance of lifelong education she continued in the Institute of Marketing International (Finland) for S.A.Luxembourg. She made Diploma in EC-Studies in 1991. Thereafter she entered University of Helsinki for postgraduate studies in English and completed Master´s Degree in European and Comparative Law & Public International Law with the thesis on Human Rights in the European Integration (sources in 10 languages) in 1994. After recent retiring she continues her further studies in Kuopio at the Savonia University of Applied Sciences.

She has worked tirelessly for human rights and peace in various national and international associations like International Federation of Women Lawyers FIDA, International Federation of Women in Legal Careers FIFCJ-IFWLC, International Law Association ILA, International Association of Women Judges IAWJ, International Federation of Business and Professional Women BPWI, and European Union of Women EUW. She chaired actively Women Lawyers Association of Finland organizing seminars even in foreign universities. In addition, she was a boardmember in many non-governmental organizations.

She co-operated for more than 30 years with Minister Helvi Sipilä, as a girlscout, lawyer and ngo-active. Helvi Sipilä, the first female Assistant Secretary General, organised a very important CEDAW seminar in UNO City Vienna 1981 with International Federation of Women Lawyers FIDA and International Federation of Women in Legal Careers FIFCJ-IFWLC. She has served both organisations as a vice president and is still vice president of FIFCJ. In Forum 85 in Nairobi they met professor Wangari Maathai, later Peace Nobel Laureate 2004. Accordingly, Wangari Maathai visited the University of Kuopio in 1986 as the keynote speaker in the national seminar of Unifem Finland, now UN WOMEN National Committee Finland. Wangari also spoke in the International Women´s Day celebration at the City hall of Kuopio.

She is also an active officer of various international and national organizations: FIFCJ, ILA, International Committee Legislation of BPWI and international associate/member of international organizations like FIDA, FIDE (European Law), ICJ Human Rights Lawyers in Finland and Nordic Lawyers Association NAF and UN WOMEN. In the International Law Association ILA she was ten years a member of international committee on Feminism and International Law. The Chairperson was Justice Sujata Manohar from India. The final report "Women and Migration" was accepted in Hague in 2010.

As vice president of FIFCJ she attended the Sessions of UN Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW) 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st, 53rd, 57st and 58th Session in New York and spoke as a panelist at the ngo events. In addition, she was a UN CSW 49th Session delegate of Finland and Taskforce for UN CSW 2005 on Human Rights for Women for International Federation of Business and Professional Women BPWI. Henceforth she has received invitations to panels in many countries. She has told about the Right to vote for Women in Finland in international seminars very proudly because the initiative was from three women of Kuopio. Finnish Women were the first to get full political rights. They could vote and stand for elections. She was also invited to Brussels by Belgian Presidency and European Commission to Conference on Gender Equality "How to Close the Gender Pay Gap".

In the last years she has become increasingly interested in the specific subject of peace making and reconciliation methods. She has attended various international and national CEDAW seminars, courses and trainings on this subject in Crisis Management Centre CMC Finland situated in Kuopio and Crisis Management Initiative in Helsinki, founded by President Martti Ahtisaari, Peace Nobel Laureate 2008. For many years she has actively worked with UNSCR 1325 beginning from UN CSW, first attending and later in the Finnish Action Group 1325, organising seminars and action, at the moment preparing the National Action Plan. The latest big effort is the innovation of Finnish Women: Women´s Bank. It helps sisters in developing countries to get small loans and to begin their work. They tell the needs and projects and Finnish Women are collecting the money. When they get profession with 25 euros they can afford the school dresses for children, food etc. It is good for the whole family. With 750 euros they can found a bank.

Liisa Kiianlinna has written numerous articles for different publications about children´s and women´s rights, gender equality and peace since 1979 when she attended her first international conference of FIDA in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She was an editorial boardmember of Lawyers News (the magazine of Lawyers Union Finland) for six years. A book of European Lawpraxis was published in Seoul 2010 in the congress of International Association of Women Judges with article of Women´s Rights in Finland by Liisa Kiianlinna. In addition she is a member of Women Journalists in Finland.

She is a very outspoken person and gets easily contacts. She travels constantly in international congresses in order to discover new people, countries, cultures, widening horizons and strengthening her relations with friends. Her leadership, volunteerism, commitment and passions to serving people of diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds has been regognised in 1993 by the Knight´s award, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland. She is also recipient of several awards on the voluntary defence activities, BPW Finland, the League of Finnish-Australian Associations and Honorary Citizen of San Diego. The jewels on her crown are six grandchildren: five grandsons and a princess of grandmother Liisa (as she told to the other grandmother when she was little).

Liisa Kiianlinna presentation

Studies:

• Master of Laws (LL.M., English degree), Mag.Iur. (Finnish degree), University of Helsinki

• Diploma in EC Studies, Institute of Marketing International (Finland) S.A. Lux.

• Problems in Contemporary International Law, Diploma, University of Helsinki

• Français Juridique

• Proceedings in English for Judges organised by Ministry of Justice

• Diploma in Leadership Management organised by Womens Voluntary Emergency Association in Finland

• Diploma in Gender Training (pilot), Crises Management Centre CMC Finland

• ABM-Training Program for Board Members

Lawyer Experience:

• Administrative Lawyer Helsinki & Kuopio, Adm. Board, Judge in Iitti Rural Court and City Court of Helsinki,
Kuopio Administrative Court

• Editorial Board of Lawyers News, former member

• Legislation Committee Kuopio Chamber of Commerce, former member

• International Law Association ILA founded 1873, member of International Committee of Feminism and
International Law, Chair Justice Sujata Manohar, India,2000-2010: the Hague Declaration:
Final Report on Women and Migration

• CEDAW Vienna Uno City, Vienna International Centre VIC 1981 "Seminar on the Legal and Practical Conseguences of he Enforcement of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women" Joint Seminar of International Federation of Women Lawyers (Federacion Internacional deAbogadas) FIDA and International Federation of Women in Legal Careers (Fédération Internationale des Femmes des Carrières Juridiques) FIFCJ-IFWLC in cooperation with United Nations and the Government ofAustria, organised by Assistant Secretary General of UN, Minister Helvi Sipilä, Finland

• accredited as member of Women Lawyers in Finland, FIDA and FIFCJ

• UN 3rd World Conference 1985, NGO FORUM 85 NAIROBI, United Nations Decade for Women "Equality,
Development & Peace Accredited as President of Women Lawyers Association in Finland, also by FIDA,FIFCJ;BPWI and UNIFEM

• UN Commission on the Status of Women. Member of State delegation 2005.

• Attended Sessions of UN Commission on the Status of Women UN CSW 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 57 and 58

• Ad Hoc Taskforce for UN CSW on Human Rights of Women BPWI 2005

• Member of State Delegation of Finland for UN CSW 49th Session in New York 2005

• University of San Diego Institute of Peace and Justice, invited panelist 2006 (Unifem and UN SCR 1325)

• The 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th International Conferences of the Chief Justices of the World on article 51 of the Constitution of India, the World Judiciary Summits 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, City Montessori School CMS Lucknow, invited panelist

• International Association of Women Judges, IAWJ Seoul, Korea, 2010 was published New Justice in Europe, in the Contribution to the Conference by European Judges and Lawyers, my Article "Some Facts About Women in Finland; Women´s Full Political Rights"

• Participation in numerous international conferences and expert meetings on global affairs, human rights and
advancement of women and children, including as panelist on the CEDAW Convention and UNSCR 1325

Boardmember- and memberships in Human Rights Associations:

• International Law Association ILA Finnish Section, est.1946, boardmember

• Association for Humanitarian Law in Finland, boardmember

• Fédération Internationale des Femmes des Carrières Juridique FIFCJ International Federation of Women in Legal Careers, IFWLC, est.1928, boardmember, vice president

• Federacion Internacional de Abogadas FIDA, International Federation of Women Lawyers, est. 1945 former European regional vice president, former country vice president, life member

• International Federation of Business and Professional Women IFBPW Member of Standing Legislation Committee 2009 - 2011

• International Association of Women Judges IAWJ founded 1997, member

• Womens National Emergency Preparedness Association in Finland, boardmember of Northern Savo Local Committee, former chairperson of Kuopio Local Committee

• Crisis Management Initiative CMI, founded 2000 by President Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel Laureate 2008, member

• Women´s Bank Kuopio Group, boardmember

• 1325 National Committee Finland Action Group, member

• Women Lawyers in Finland, est.1945, former president

• International Commission of Jurists ICJ Finnish Section-V - Human Rights Lawyers in Finland, est.1956, board member

• European Union of Women EUW, former member of Juridical Committee EUW Finland former boardmember and chairperson of juridical Committee

• National Council of Women of Finland, est.1911, boardmember

• UN WOMEN National Committee Finland: former Unifem Finland, former boardmember and chairperson of Unifem Kuopio Local Committee, member

• Defence for Children International DCI Finland, former vice president and boardmember

• UNICEF Kuopio Local Committee, former vice chairperson and boardmember

• Finnish League for Human Rights, member

Award:

• Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland, 1993

• Gusi Peace Prize International 2012, Manila

Language skills:

Finnish, Swedish (other Scandinavian languages), German, English, Spanish and French
(understanding well Italian language)