Kirsti Lintonen, born in Tampere on May 23, 1945, is the Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations. She presented her credentials to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on February 15, 2005. From 2000 until her appointment, she had been Finland's ambassador to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, and Swaziland. She was accredited to the Southern African Development Community. Kirsti Lintonen entered the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1971. She became an ambassador in Windhoek, Namibia in 1990. In 1994 she became the Deputy Director General for Political Affairs within the Ministry, and in 1996 she became Under-Secretary of State. She possesses a master's degree in political science.