Rebeca Grynspan

Grynspan is the daughter of Manuel Grynspan Burstin and Sara Mayufis Schapiro, immigrants from Poland of Jewish ancestry. Grynspan obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in economics from the University of Costa Rica and later on a Master of Arts in Economics from Sussex University.

Early in her career, Grynspan was a professor and researcher at the Economic Science Research Institute at the University of Costa Rica.

Grynspan has held various official functions in her country such as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998 and concurrently as Housing Minister from 1996 to 1998, Coordinating Minister of Economy from 1995 to 1996, Coordinating Minister of Social Affairs from 1994 to 1998 and Vice-Minister of Finance from 1986 to 1988.

Grynspan was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to be the eighth secretary-general of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 13 September 2021. She is the first woman to hold this position in the history of the organization.

Grynspan served as Director of the Subregional Headquarters in Mexico of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) from 2001 to 2006, where she also served as Co-Chair of the International Food Policy Research Institute's Executive Board.{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sga969.doc.htm |title=Secretary-General appoints Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica as Director of UN Development Programme's Latin America and Caribbean Bureau |publisher=UN |accessdate= 12 July 2013}} She was also a member of the UN Millennium Project's Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and of the UN High-Level Panel on Financing for Development.

Grynspan served as an Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from 2006 to 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/leadership/grynspan/biography/ |title=United Nations Development Programme - Rebeca Grynspan, UNDP Associate Administrator |publisher=UNDP |accessdate=8 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701202947/http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/leadership/grynspan/biography/ |archivedate=1 July 2013 }} In 2010, she was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the position of UN Under-Secretary-General and the Associate Administrator, serving under the leadership of Helen Clark.

File:UN Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan during the opening of the UNCTAD60 Global Leaders Forum.jpg

Grynspan is a member of the Program for the Support of Women's Leadership and Representation (PROLEAD) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and she is former vice president of the board of directors of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington, D.C.

Grynspan was unanimously elected Secretary General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), at a special meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers on 24 February 2014 in Mexico City, in which representatives of all 22 member countries were present. She succeeded in the office Enrique V. Iglesias, who had held the position since the establishment of SEGIB in 2005.{{cite web|title=Rebeca Grynspan, Secretaria General Iberoamericana|url=http://segib.org/es/node/42|work=SEGIB website|accessdate=24 March 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204025436/http://segib.org/es/node/42|archivedate=4 February 2014}}{{cite news|last=González|first=Miguel|title=Rebeca Grynspan será la nueva secretaria general iberoamericana|url=http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2014/02/18/actualidad/1392748838_156993.html|accessdate=24 March 2014|newspaper=El País|date=18 Feb 2014}}

In September 2016, Grynspan was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to serve as a member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.[https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sga1678.doc.htm Secretary-General Appoints 29 Global Leaders to Spearhead Fight against Malnutrition] United Nations, press release of 21 September 2016.

In early 2021, Grynspan was appointed by the G20 to the High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP) on financing the global commons for pandemic preparedness and response, co-chaired by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Lawrence Summers.[https://www.mef.gov.it/en/ufficio-stampa/comunicati/2021/The-G20-establishes-a-High-Level-Independent-Panel-on-financing-the-Global-Commons-for-Pandemic-Preparedness-and-Response-00001/ Ministry of Economy and FinanceThe G20 establishes a High-Level Independent Panel on financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response] Ministry of Economy and Finance, press release of 27 January 2021.

In June 2021, following consultations with member states, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres proposed Grynspan as the next Secretary-General of the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.[https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/personnel-appointments/2021-06-11/ms-rebeca-grynspan-of-costa-rica-secretary-general-of-un-conference-trade-and-development-%28unctad%29 Ms. Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica - Secretary-General of UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)] United Nations, press release of 11 June 2021.

In 2021, Grynspan became a member of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. That same year, the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, named her as special international advisor to the Economic and Social Council of Argentina.

In 2014 and 2015, Grynspan was recognized as one of the 50 leading intellectuals of Latin America and, in 2017, she received a Forbes Excellence Award{{Cite web|url=https://www.portaldecadiz.com/cultura/29322-la-secretaria-general-iberoamericana-rebeca-grynspan-cierra-este-viernes-el-ciclo-de-conferencias-de-cadiz-al-mundo|title=La secretaria general iberoamericana Rebeca Grynspan cierra este viernes el ciclo de conferencias 'De Cádiz al mundo'|last=Redacción|website=www.portaldecadiz.com|language=es-es|access-date=2018-03-12}} and was granted the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X The Wise{{Cite web|url=https://www.mecd.gob.es/prensa-mecd/en/actualidad/2017/11/20171103-cruces.html|title=12 nuevas Grandes Cruces de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=}} by the Spanish Government. In recognition of her professional achievements, the University of Extremadura{{Cite web|url=https://www.unex.es/organizacion/servicios-universitarios/servicios/comunicacion/archivo/2016/diciembre-de-2016/12-de-diciembre-de-2016/la-uex-inviste-doctora-honoris-causa-a-rebeca-grynspan?set_language=en&cl=en|title=La UEx inviste Doctora Honoris Causa a Rebeca Grynspan — Portal de la UEX - Bienvenido a la Universidad de Extremadura|website=www.unex.es|language=en|access-date=2018-03-12}} and the European University conferred her an honorary doctorate.{{Cite web|url=https://universidadeuropea.es/en/campus-life/posts/rebeca-grynspan-honorary-phd-from-the-universidad-europea|title=Rebeca Grynspan, Honorary PhD from Universidad Europea|website=universidadeuropea.es|language=en|access-date=2018-03-12}}

• Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Member of the Strategic Committee[https://www.sciencespo.fr/psia/content/psia-strategic-committee.html Strategic Committee] Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA).
• World Economic Forum (WEF), Member of the Global Councils on the Future of International Governance, Public-Private Cooperation & Sustainable Development,{{Cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/communities/the-future-of-international-governance-public-private-cooperation|title=The Future of International Governance & Public-Private Cooperation|website=World Economic Forum|access-date=2018-03-12}} and the Poverty and Sustainable Development
• UNICEF Scaling-up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, Member of the Steering Committee{{Cite news|url=http://scalingupnutrition.org/sun-supporters/sun-movement-lead-group/|title=SUN Movement Lead Group|work=SUN|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en-US}}
• Society for International Development (SID), Member of the Governing Council{{Cite web|url=https://www.sidint.net/content/governing-council|title=www.sidint.net|website=www.sidint.net|language=en|access-date=2018-03-12}}
• Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity (GISP), Member of the Advisory Board[http://www.global-isp.org/advisory-board/ Advisory Board] Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity (GISP).
• Inter-American Dialogue, Member{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedialogue.org/experts/rebeca-grynspan/|title=Inter-American Dialogue {{!}} Rebeca Grynspan|website=www.thedialogue.org|access-date=2017-04-12}}
• International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA), Member of the Advisory Board[https://forum-americas.org/miami/about-us/advisory-board/ Advisory Board] International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA).
• International Labour Organization (ILO), Member of the Global Commission on the Future of Work{{Cite news|url=http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/future-of-work/WCMS_569528/lang--en/index.htm|title=Global Commission on the Future of Work|date=2017-08-14|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en}}
• Fourth Sector Group, Co-Chair{{Cite web|url=https://www.fourthsector.org/who-we-are|title=The Fourth Sector Group|website=The Fourth Sector Group|language=en|access-date=2018-03-12}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fourthsector.org/fsdi|title=The Fourth Sector Group|website=The Fourth Sector Group|language=en|access-date=2018-03-12}}
• Women Political Leaders Global Forum, Member{{Cite news|url=https://www.womenpoliticalleaders.org/about/advisory-board/|title=Global Advisory board - Women Political Leaders Global Forum|work=Women Political Leaders Global Forum|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en-US}}
• W20, Member{{Cite news|url=https://www.g20.org/en/news/women20-w20-launches-its-agenda-enrich-g20|title=Women20 (W20) launches its agenda to enrich the G20|date=2017-12-11|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{Commons category|Rebeca Grynspan}}

• [https://unctad.org/news/rebeca-grynspan-takes-over-head-unctad Rebeca Grynspan takes over as head of UNCTAD]
• [https://unctad.org/about/office-of-the-secretary-general UNCTAD (Biographical note)]
• [https://unctad.org/osgstatements-search UNCTAD (Speeches and Statements)]

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Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex

Category:Costa Rican people of Polish-Jewish descent

Category:Government ministers of Costa Rica

Category:National Liberation Party (Costa Rica) politicians

Category:People from San José, Costa Rica

Category:United Nations Development Programme officials

Category:Vice presidents of Costa Rica

Category:Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise

Category:Women vice presidents of Costa Rica

Category:Costa Rican officials of the United Nations

Category:Costa Rican Jews

Category:Members of the Inter-American Dialogue