The Legal Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility: Interview with Ursula Wynhoven

Abstract

The Global Compact (UNGC) represents the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative today. Created under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) to encourage companies around the world to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, the UNGC brings together businesses, UN agencies and labour groups in search of compromises. In a phone interview with the Journal’s team, Ursula Wynhoven, General Counsel and Head of the UN Global Compact, shared her views on current issues and challenges of the field. Before joining the UN, she was engaged with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the development of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). Ursula Wynhoven has also worked as a lawyer in governmental human rights agencies and private practices in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Reykjavik’s School of Law in human rights and business.