Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
First Female Ambassadors J-R

This is the list of the first women appointed as ambassadors in the countries which has had a female ambassador to this date. Some of the information in this list is supplied by Mart Martin.  

J K L M N O P Q R

Jamaica

1974-75 Dr. Lucielle Mathurin Muir, Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations
1975-78 Cuba
1992-96 United Nations

1975-? Carmen Parris, France

Japan

1976 Sakado Ogata, Minister to ?
Later Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and High Commissioner for Refugees

1980-83 Nobuko Takahashi, Denmark

Jordan

1969-? Laurice Hlass, Ambassador-at-large, Deputy to the UN Ambassador, Repetitive the UN General Assembly etc.

2000-03 Alia Hatough-Bouran, Belgium, Luxembourg, EU and NATO
The first female Jordanian ambassador with a posting to a foreign country. From 2003 Minister of Tourism.

Kazakhstan

1993- Akmoral Arystanbekova, United Nations
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

Kenya

1976-86 Margaret Wambui Kenyatta, Permanent Representative to the UN Environmental Program in Nairobi
Mayor of Nairobi 1970-76.

1985-90 Sally Kosgei, United Kingdom 
Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs 1991-97, of Finance 1998 and from 1998 of the Office of the President

South Korea

1948 Mo Yun-suk, Special Ambassador, Leader of Delegation to United Nation's General Assembly meeting in Paris

1996-98 Dr. Lee In-ho, Finland
1998-2002 Ambassador to Russia

Kyrgyzstan

1991-2004 Dilde Sarbagysheva, Consul General with rank of Ambassador to Istanbul
2005- Ambassador to United Kingdom

1992-94 Rosa Otunbaeva, USA and Canada
1994    Turkey
1996-98 Canada
Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan 1986-89, 1992 and 1994-96 and Ambassador to Malaysia for United Socialist Soviet Republics 1991-92.

Kuwait

1993-99 Nabila Al-Mulla, South Africa and Zimbabwe
1999-2005 Ambassador to Austria
2001-05 United Nations in Geneva and Austria and Deputy Permanent Representative
2005-07 United Nations
2007-? Belgium, Luxembourg, The European Union.

1994 Prof. Rasha 'Al-Sabah/ or Rawyah 'Al-Ghaem, Ambassador?
Former Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations

Laos

1998-2004 Sengchanh Soukhaseum, Philippines
Director General of the Foreign Affairs Institute in Laos.

Latvia 

1991 Anna Zigure, Finland

Lebanon

1983 Sameera Emile Hanna-Al-Daheer, Japan
1999-? Japan  

1997-? Insaf Sultan, Pakistan

Leshoto

1977-ca.79 Marion Likhapa Sehlabo, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Western Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland
Circa 1986 United Kingdom  

1994-? Eunice Bulane, USA

Liberia

1975-77 Angie Brook-Randolph, United Nations, Cuba
Former Assistant Secretary of State and President of the United Nations General Assembly  

Libya

1992-? Dr. Fatima Magami, Ghana

Liechtenstein

1990-2002 Claudia Fritsche, United Nations  
2002- Ambassador to United States of America

Lithuania

1918-19 Jadvyga Chodakauskaite-Tubeliene, Deputy Chief of Mission to Switzerland

1994 Halina Kobeckaite, Estonia

1997-? Kornelija Juraitienë, Norway

Luxembourg

1993-98 Arlette Conzemius-Parroud, Council of Europe
1998- USA

Macedonia

1991-95 Representative Ljubira Z. Acevska, USA 
1995-? Ambassador
As official representative, she worked for the recognition of her Country, and after it came trough, she was appointed Ambassador.

Malaysia

1976-79 P.G. Lim. Yugoslavia

Maldive Islands

2002-? Rashida Yoosuf, Sri Lanka
Minister of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare 1997-2002.

Mali

1993-? Madina Ly-Tall, France and Spain

Malta

1970-75 Alice Emo-Capodolisk, Portugal  

Marshall Islands  

1997-? Amatlain E. Kabua, Japan  
Before her appointment she was her county's first female mayor.

Mauritus

Circa 1989-93 Ghislaine Henry, France

1993-96 Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, France and Spain

1996-? Marie-France Rousseti, France and Spain

Mexico

1941 Palma Guillén, Minister to Colombia

1954-58 Amalia de Castillo Ledón, Minister-Plenipotentiary to Sweden
Circa 1967-? Ambassador to Austria  

19... Paula Alegria, Denmark
The first Mexican woman with the title of ambassador

Moldova

1997-2005 Iuliana Gorea-Costin, Permanent Representative to Council of Europe
Presidential Candidate in 1996. Title of Ambassador from 1999.

Monaco

2009- Evelyne Genta, United Kingdom
Consul General to the UK from 2006 until the Consulate was elevated to the status of an Embassy.

Mongolia

1980-83 Damdiny Baljinnyam, United Nations in Génève

Morocco

1965-69 HRH Princess Lalla Aisha of Morocco to United Kingdom
1969-75 Italy and Greece
Sister of the late King Hassan III (1929-61-99). She lived (1930-2011)

2001- HRH Princess Lalla Maryem of Morocco, to UNESCO
Sister of King Muhamad V

Mozambique

1980-85 Frances Victoria Velho Rodriguez, Ambassador in the Foreign Ministry
1985-95 European Communities, Netherlands, Belgium France, Austria and Greece

Namibia

1991-95 Tonata Lilja Itenge-Emvula, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland

Narau

1996-? Millicent Aroi, Fiji
In 2004 Camilla Itsimaera was ambassador to Fiji

Nepal

1989-? Bindha Swari Shah, India
Started her diplomatic career as Second Secretary to Washington 1961-64. Daughter of Padma Sundar Malla, decendant of the Malla Kings of Bhaktapur.

The Netherlands

1956-? Maria Z.W. Witteven, European Council

1995 Janine C. Ferringa, Ghana

New Zeeland

1949 Cynthia Mackenzie, Minister to France

1968 Helen Hampton, United Nations in Génève

1978 Barbara Angus, Philippines

Nicaragua

1979-ca.86 Rita Delia Caso Montenegro, USA and Canada

Nigeria

1977 R.T. Mohammed to ?

1982-86 Judith Sefi Attah, UNESCO
1990-95 Italy, Greece and Cyprus
Former civil servant and 1995-97 Minister of Social Affairs

Norway

1974 Kirsten Ohm, European Council

1978-96 Annemarie Røstvik (Roestvik) Lorentzen, Iceland
(Former minister)

Oman

1999-? Khadija bint Hassan bin Salman al-Luweti, The Netherlands

Pakistan

1954-61 Begum Raána Liquat Ali Khan, The Netherlands
1961-66 Italy
1961-64 Tunesia
She was the widow of President Ali Khan, 1973-76 she was governor of the Sindh Province (b. 1905-)

Palau (Balau)

2003-? Anita Rechirei Suta, Philippines
Apart from being her country's first ambassador she was also its first envoy to Manila.

Palestine

Until 1991 Leila Shahid, Ireland
1991-93 The Netherlands and Denmark
1993- France

Panama

1952 Elida Campodónico de Crespo, Mexico
Vice-President of the Partido Nacional Feminista in 1923. (1894-1960)

Circa 1970-93 Emilia Arosemena Vallarino, Mexico

Papua New Guinea

1988-ca.99  Margaret M. Taylor, USA
1989-96  Canada
1991-ca.99 Mexico

Paraguay

1945-49 Prof. Isabel Aurva Vallejo, Brazil
1949-50 USA
In 1941 she was Director General for the Minister of Finance. She might have been Paraguay's only female ambassador, at least until recently.

Peru

Circa 1988 Maria Salzar Castellanos, Poland

The Philippines

Circa 1962 Trinidad Fernandez Legarde, The Republic of (South) Vietnam
In the 1980s ambassador to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

Poland

1983-87 Dr.iur. Maria Skóra Regent-Lechowicz, Sweden
Former Secretary of State of Justice.

Portugal

1974-79 Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo da Silva, UNESCO
Premier Minister 1979-80

Romania

1924 Elena Vacaresco, Leauge of Nations

1978 Stana Dagoi, Denmark

Russia

1991-92 Tamara Vedenikova, Denmark

1991-? Zora Novoahilova, Switzerland

Rwanda

2000-05 Rosemary Kobusinye Museminali, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and the Republic of Ireland
Minister of State 2005-08 and appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2008.

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Last update 20.03.16