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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, the UN agency said in a press release received in Dhaka on Saturday.
Ms Grynspan, the first woman and Central American to be appointed as secretary-general of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), is an economist and current Ibero-American Secretary-General.
Expressing her gratitude for appointing her to head UNCTAD which she calls “a key partner for all countries facing the challenges of post pandemic recovery,” she said, “I believe that, at this critical time, UNCTAD can make an essential contribution for a more just, sustainable and inclusive recovery for all.”
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 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: “The timely coming on board of Ms. 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.”