José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs was appointed Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on September 1, 2022, and assumed his duties on October 3 of the same year.

At the International Labour Organization (ILO), which he joined in 2005, he served as Executive Director of the Employment Sector, Deputy Director-General for Policy (2013–2015), and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean (2015–2018). Prior to joining the ILO, he was Director of the Trade Unit of the Organization of American States (OAS) from 1998 to 2005. He also served as Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Trade (1997–1998), Executive President of the Costa Rican Development Corporation (1988–1990), and Chief Economist and Executive Director of the Federation of Private Sector Organizations of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (FEDEPRICAP) from 1990 to 1996.

In academia, he is the author of numerous publications on development policy, trade, productive transformation, competitiveness, and employment. He has taught at the University of Costa Rica, the National University of Heredia (Costa Rica), the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), and Georgetown University (United States).

Salazar-Xirinachs holds a Master’s degree in Development Economics, a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Costa Rica.

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs was appointed Executive Secretary of ECLAC by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on September 1, 2022, and officially assumed his position on October 3, 2022.