Eeva Ahtisaari

Eeva Irmeli Ahtisaari (née Hyvärinen, born 18 June 1936) is a Finnish teacher and historian who was the First Lady of Finland from 1994 to 2000. She was married to the late 10th President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari.^[1] Their son is the musician Marko Ahtisaari.

Eeva Ahtisaari
Eeva Ahtisaari in 1994
Spouse of the President of Finland
In role 1 March 1994 – 1 March 2000
President	Martti Ahtisaari
Preceded by	Tellervo Koivisto
Succeeded by	Pentti Arajärvi
Personal details
Born	(1936-06-18) June 18, 1936 (age 88) Varkaus, Finland
Spouse	Martti Ahtisaari ​ ​ (m. 1968; died 2023)​
Alma mater	University of Helsinki
Occupation	Bachelor of Arts (1962) Master of Arts (1988)

Life

Eeva Ahtisaari graduated from the University of Helsinki in 1962 and worked as a history teacher in Kuopio, Rovaniemi and Espoo. In 1974–1989, Ahtisaari lived in Tanzania and Namibia as her husband Martti Ahtisaari worked as a diplomat and UN Special Representative.^[1][2] Ahtisaari's autobiography Juuret ja siivet (Roots and Wings) was published in 2002.

On 21 March 2020, it was announced that Eeva Ahtisaari was tested positive for the coronavirus. She attended the International Women's Day concert on 8 March at the Helsinki Music Centre while infected. The former President of Finland Tarja Halonen was also present at the concert but she was not infected.^[3]

Honours

National honours

• Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (1994)

Foreign honours

•  Denmark: Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog
•  Estonia: First Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (1995)^[4]
•  Iceland: Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (26 September 1995)^[5]
•  Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star (1994)
•  Namibia: Honorary citizenship (1992)

Literal works

• Yksi kamari – kaksi sukupuolta: Suomen eduskunnan ensimmäiset naiset, Helsinki; Parliament of Finland, 1997. ISBN 951-69240-2-6
• Juuret ja siivet, Helsinki; WSOY, 2002. ISBN 951-02729-6-5
• Eeva Ahtisaari, Maija Kauppinen, Aura Korppi-Tommola: Tavoitteena tasa-arvo: Suomen Naisyhdistys 125 vuotta, Helsinki; Finnish Literature Society, 2009. ISBN 978-952-22211-0-0

References

1. "Eeva Ahtisaari". 375 Humanists. University of Helsinki. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
2. "Eeva Ahtisaari: "Women Are the Soul of the Family"". Apu. President of Finland. 1997. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
3. von Kraemer, Maria (21 March 2020). "Eeva Ahtisaari har smittats av coronaviruset" (in Swedish). Yle Svenska. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
4. Estonian Presidency Website (Estonian), Estonian State Decorations, Martti Ahtisaari Archived 6 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine - Eeva Ahtisaari Archived 6 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
5. Icelandic Presidency Website (Icelandic), Order of the Falcon, Martti & Eeva Ahtisaari Archived 13 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 26 September 1995, Grand Cross with Collar & Grand Cross respectively