Märta Elisabeth Rehn VR 1 (née Carlberg; born 6 April 1935) is a Finnish former politician and diplomat.

Upon her assumption of office on 13 June 1990, she became the first female defence minister of a European nation and the sixth in the world.

[6] During her tenure in office, a law was passed permitting women to perform voluntary national military service.

Her popularity in office led to the Swedish People's Party candidacy in the 1994 Finnish presidential election.

She earned enough votes in early elections to make it to the final round, in which she faced diplomat Martti Ahtisaari of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.

Elisabeth Rehn and Lamija Tanović were the key founding members and patrons of the United World College in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.