List of the first women holders of political offices

This is a list of political offices which have been held by a woman, with details of the first woman holder of each office. It is ordered by country, by dates of appointment. , such as Yugoslavia, are also listed.

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America

International organizations

African Union

• President of the Pan-African Parliament - Gertrude Mongella - 2004 (at its founding)
• Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament - Elise Loum - 2004
• Chairperson of the African Union Commission - Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma - 2012

European Union

• President of the European Parliament – Simone Veil – 1979
• President-in-Office of the European Council – Margaret Thatcher – 1981
• European Commissioner – Christiane Scrivener / Vasso Papandreou – 1989
• Leader of the Socialist Group and of any major party – Pauline Green – 1994
• Co Vice-President of the European Commission – Loyola de Palacio – 1999
• First Vice-President of the European Commission – Margot Wallström – 2004
• High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – Catherine Ashton – 2009
• President of the European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen – 2019.

League of Nations

• Substitute Delegate and Ambassador to the League of Nations – Elena Văcărescu – 1922
• Permanent Delegate and Ambassador to the League of Nations – Elena Văcărescu – 1924

United Nations

• Head of the section of Welfare Policy – Alva Myrdal – 1949
• Chairman of UNESCO's social science section – Alva Myrdal – 1950
• President of the United Nations General Assembly – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – 1953
• Permanent Representative – Agda Rössel (Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations) – 1958
• Head of the United Nations Children's Fund – Carol Bellamy – 1995
• United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – Mary Robinson – 1997
• Deputy Secretary-General – Louise Fréchette – 1998
• Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme – Anna Tibaijuka – 2000
• Under-Secretary-General – Inga-Britt Ahlenius – 2005
• Assistant-Secretary-General – Helvi Sipilä – 1972
• President of the International Court of Justice – Rosalyn Higgins – 2006
• Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme – Helen Clark – 2009
• Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund – Christine Lagarde – 2011

See also

• Council of Women World Leaders
• List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government
• List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
• List of the first women heads of government and state in Muslim-majority countries
• Muslim women political leaders
• Women in government

References