Having served as a political leader in Finland and Europe, Ms Jutta Urpilainen has extensive experience in sustainable development, economic policy, education, EU affairs, as well as partnerships with the Global South and the UN system.
In 2019-2024, Ms Jutta Urpilainen served as EU Commissioner for International Partnerships. She was leading the European Commission’s work on international cooperation and sustainable development, as well as partnering with the UN, G7 and G20. In cooperation with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, she launched the Global Gateway, the EU’s flagship strategy to mobilise up to €300 billion in smart, clean, and secure infrastructure investments worldwide.
Before joining the Commission, Ms Urpilainen served as a Member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2019. In 2008, she became the first female leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Finland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, as the first woman in that position. During that time, she became closely involved in development issues, joining the Development Committee of the World Bank Group and the IMF. Ms Urpilainen served as the Foreign Minister’s Special Representative on Mediation (2017-19), focusing on strengthening the role of women and youth in peace processes, and as Board Member of CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation.
Currently, Mrs Urpilainen is the Chair of the Advisory Board for the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, nominated by UNESCO. She serves as a fellow at the Center for Global Development (Washington DC, London) working to reduce global poverty through innovative economic research. She is a member of Nordic Women Mediators (NWM).
She holds a Master’s degree in Education. She has visited the Geneva Centre for Security Policy as a Government Fellow (2016). Mrs Urpilainen is married and has two children. She lives in Doha, Qatar.