BIO

Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis (born December 14, 1955) is a Costa Rican economist who has been serving as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) since September 13, 2021.

Grynspan previously held the position of Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Conference (2014–2021) and served as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2010–2014). Before that, she served as the Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, appointed to the position by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in December 2005. She also held the position of Vice President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998.

Ms. Grynspan holds a degree in Economics from the University of Costa Rica and a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Sussex. She has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Salamanca, the University of Extremadura, and the European University of Madrid. Ms. Grynspan is fluent in both English and Spanish.