UNCTAD announces new secretary General from Costa Rica

GENEVA, Switzerland — Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica will be the new secretary-general of UNCTAD, the UN trade and development body. Her nomination to the post by UN secretary-general António Guterres was approved by the UN General Assembly on Friday.

Grynspan, the first woman and Central American to be appointed as secretary-general of UNCTAD, is an economist and current Ibero-American secretary-general.

“I am grateful and honoured for the trust the UN secretary-general António Guterres has placed in me with this appointment as secretary-general of UNCTAD,” Grynspan said. “I look forward to bringing my experience and commitment to development to this unique organization, whose history, mandate and recognized world-class expertise make it a key partner for all countries facing the challenges of post pandemic recovery. I believe that, at this critical time, UNCTAD can make an essential contribution for a more just, sustainable and inclusive recovery for all,” she said.

Grynspan has had a career spanning many years and has held several high-level positions including, among others, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

She has also served as the UNDP regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, a member of the high-level panel on financing for development, and vice president of Costa Rica (1994 to 1998).

UNCTAD acting secretary-general Isabelle Durant welcomed the appointment and said: “This is great news for UNCTAD. The timely coming on board of Grynspan as our secretary-general will be key to leading us in the implementation of a new chapter and mandate that will be decided by our 15th ministerial conference, UNCTAD15, in October this year.”