Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica will be the new head of UNCTAD, the United Nations trade and development body.
- Grynspan’s nomination to the post by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was approved on 11 June by the UN General Assembly.
- Ms. Grynspan, the first woman and Central American to be appointed as UNCTAD’s secretary-general, is an economist and current Ibero-American secretary-general.
- Ms. Grynspan has had a career spanning many years and has held several high-level positions including, among others, former under secretary-general of the UN and associate administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
- She has also served as UNDP’s 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).
About UNCTAD
- UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964.
- It’s headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland, and we have offices in New York and Addis Ababa.
- UNCTAD is part of the UN Secretariat. It reports to the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council but it has its own membership, leadership, and budget.
