Ursula Wynhoven is an international lawyer with 22 years’ experience. She joined the ITU in September 2017 as its Representative to the UN, NY. The ITU is the UN’s specialized agency for information and communication technologies with the mission to connect the world. Previously, Ursula spent 14 years with the UN Global Compact, the UN’s corporate sustainability initiative, where her last position was Chief, Social Sustainability, Governance & Legal and member of the Executive Committee. Ursula led the UN Global Compact's platforms and workstreams on human rights and decent work, gender equality, poverty and inequality, peace, anti-corruption and the rule of law. Ursula also led legal affairs and oversaw policy development and implementation of the UN Global Compact’s integrity measures. Ursula began working with the Global Compact in 2002 and as one of the earliest staff members played an active role in helping to grow the initiative to more than 13,000 signatories in more than 160 countries with a full roster of workstreams advancing virtually all aspects of corporate sustainability. Ursula's tenure with the Global Compact also included a six month loan as Senior Advisor, Business and Human Rights to the UN’s Human Rights Office.

Prior to joining the UN, Ursula worked in law firms and government human rights agencies in Australia and the US and for the OECD on the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 

Ursula has Masters of Law degrees from Columbia Law School, where she was a Human Rights Fellow, and Monash Law School, and Bachelor’s degrees in Law (Hons), Economics, and Letters. Since 2007, Ursula has been an Adjunct Professor in Corporate Sustainability, Business and Human Rights at Fordham Law School and previously taught at the Reykjavik University School of Law. 

Ursula is a Trustee of the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law at Columbia Law School. She has been admitted to practice law in jurisdictions in Australia, the US and the UK.