Rebeca Grynspan, of Costa Rica, was appointed the eighth secretary-general of UNCTAD on 13 September 2021. She is the first woman to hold this position in the history of the organization. Over her career, Ms. Grynspan has held numerous high-level positions. Prior to her UNCTAD appointment, she was the secretary-general of the Ibero-American Conference (2014 – 2021), the first woman to lead the organization. She is also a former under secretary-general of the UN and associate administrator of the UNDP. Prior to joining the UN, she served as vice president of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. She was also minister of housing, minister coordinator of economic and social affairs and deputy finance minister. Ms. Grynspan is a renowned advocate of human development, who has helped to focus the world’s attention on relevant issues such as the reduction of inequality and poverty, gender equality, South-South cooperation as a tool for development, and the achievement of the UNSDGs, among others. In addition, she was a member of the HL Panel on Financing for Development, a member of the ILO’s Global Commission on the Future of Work, and currently member of the G20 HL Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.