Who is Rebeca Grynspan? Costa Rican Economist Becomes Favourite in Race to Succeed UN Chief Antonio Guterres – Check Her Age, Career, Net Worth & All You Need to Know

Last November, the United Nations announced that it is inviting nominations from member states for candidates to become the next secretary general of the UN.  Now, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Gryspan has become the clear frontrunner in that race, which icludes 6 other candidates. 

Who is Rebeca Grynspan? 

Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis is a Costa Rican diplomat and economist. She was the country’s vice president from 1994 to 1998. She currently serves as the Secretary General of UN Trade and Development. 

Rebeca Grynspan: Age 

Rebeca Grynspan was born on December 14, 1955. She is 70 years old.  

Rebeca Grynspan: Net Worth 

The net worth of Rebeca Grynspan is not public knowledge. She has not disclosed any information about her investments or assets. 

Rebeca Grynspan: Career 

As an economist and diplomat, Rebeca Grynspan has enjoyed a distinguished career. From 1994 to 1998, she was the vice president of Costa Rica. 

Under President Jose Maria Figures, she served as the Minister of Economy (1993–1994) and Minister of Finance (1994).  She concurrently served as the Coordinator of the Social Sector and the Minister of Housing. And before entering politics, she was the Managing Director of the Central Bank of Costa Rica.

From 2001 to 2006, she directed the subregional headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Mexico.Immediately after, she led the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean till 2010.

From 2010 to 2014, she served as the second-highest-ranking official at the UN Development Programme. In 2021, she was appointed by António Guterres to head UN Trade and Development. Grynspan also made history by becoming the first female Secretary-General of SEGIB, coordinating cooperation across 22 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking nations in Europe and the Americas. She served in that role from 2014 to 2021.  

Rebeca Grynspan: Education 

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Economics from the University of Costa Rica (UCR). She also attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to study sociology ad economics. he completed her Master of Science (MSc) in Economics at the University of Sussex in England.  

Rebeca Grynspan: Husband 

Rebeca Grynspan is married to Saul Weisleder, a fellow diplomat and economist. He  served as a professor and later as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the National University of Costa Rica (UNA). 

And while serving as a legislator from the National Liberation Party (PLN), Weisleder was the President of Congress. He left politics to go into diplomatics and currently serves as Costa Rica’s Alternate Permanent Representative to the United Nations until 2014