Rebeca Grynspan – Ibero-American Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary-General and former VP of Costa Rica – Episode 206

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Today on Extraordinary Women Radio, I am so honored to introduce you to Rebeca Grynspan, the Ibero-American Secretary General, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary General and a former Vice President of Costa Rica. In this Episode: The conception of Ibero-American, and how it continues to bind seventeen countries of Latin-American descent, and the discourse of sustainable development goals for 2021. Rebeca recalls her experience of being the only woman in a state-sponsored “meeting of minds” and her first connection to a life of governance. She shares her journey as the person occupying the second-most top position in the government and how it impacted her life as a mother. Discussing the most exciting initiatives that she consistently works on from her day of vice-presidency until now. Rebeca tackles Covid-19 strategies from vaccination rollouts, aid, and recovery processes. Rebeca’s nuggets of wisdom especially for women wanting to start a sustainable change in their respective communities. Rebeca inspires everyone to find unity in diversity and she explains how this progression will positively impact women’s rights. Rebeca Grynspan was born in San José, Costa Rica. She was unanimously elected as Ibero-American Secretary General at the Extraordinary Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Ciudad de Mexico, on 24th February 2014.  She took office on 1st April 2014 and in 2018 her mandate was renewed for a further four-year term. She has since coordinated the 22 member state Iberoamerican Conference and led four key summits of Heads of State and Government in Mexico (2014), Colombia (2016), Guatemala (2018), and Andorra (2020-2021). In 2010 she was named Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). From 2006 to 2010, she was UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Grynspan 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 Minister of Finance. In addition, she has been a member of the High-Level Panel on Financing for Development, convened by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001. She is a renowned advocate of human development, who has helped to focus the world’s attention, and also that of Latin America, 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 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among others. She was also a delegate to the United Nations Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti, a group consisting of the Haitian government, the former President of the United States Bill Clinton, and other prominent international partners. In June 2014 she was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), a leading global organization at the forefront of development and environmental policy research. Ms. Grynspan is a member of the steering committee of the UNICEF Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement; member of the Governing Council of the Society for International Development (SID), a global network of individuals and professionals at the forefront of development; member of the International Labour Organisation’s Global Commission on the Future of Work; member of the Advisory Board of the Expansión International Economic Forum 2021 and in 2021 became a  member of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. In addition to her experience as a conference lecturer and advisor to a number of international organizations and institutions, she has been actively involved in key United Nation...