The 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16) was opened by the head of the delegation of Barbados, the host country of the previous session (UNCTAD15), held from 3 to 7 October 2021. Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin was elected President of the Conference during the opening plenary.
The opening was moderated by Damon Embling, Director of Headline Media UK.
Statements
In September 2021, Rebeca Grynspan was appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), becoming the first woman to lead the organization in its 60-year history.
Rebeca Grynspan, an economist and former Vice President of Costa Rica, is an experienced leader of international institutions with a substantive track record in government, UN diplomacy, economic policy and multilateral cooperation at the global level.
Prior to joining the United Nations, she was Vice President of Costa Rica and held cabinet positions as Minister of Housing, Minister Coordinator of Economic and Social Affairs and Deputy Finance Minister.
Previously, she served as Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Conference (2014–2021), chairing regional summits of Heads of State and Government; United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. She was a member of the UN Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti, representing the UN Secretary-General.
At UNCTAD, Grynspan has been at the centre of critical negotiations to address global trade and development challenges. She played a decisive role in the successful Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered between the UN, Türkiye, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which enabled the safe export of over 32 million tons of grain, lowered global food prices by 22% and prevented millions from falling into food insecurity. She also leads the UN Global Crisis Response Group on food, energy and finance, and has represented the UN in G20 summits.
Her leadership has been recognized widely. In 2024, she received the Doha Negotiator of the Year Award for spearheading UN efforts to restore Black Sea trade routes. In 2025, Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation awarded her the inaugural Isabel Oyarzábal Women in Multilateralism International Prize for her contribution to multilateralism.
Ms. Grynspan holds degrees in economics from the University of Costa Rica and the University of Sussex, and honorary doctorates from several European universities.
The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P., became Barbados' eighth and first female Prime Minister on 25 May 2018.
Ms. Mottley was elected to the Parliament of Barbados in September 1994 as part of the new Barbados Labour Party Government.
Prior to that, she served as one of two Opposition Senators between 1991 and 1994. One of the youngest persons ever to be assigned a ministerial portfolio, Ms. Mottley was appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture from 1994 to 2001.
She later served as Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados from 2001 to 2008 and was the first female to hold that position.
Ms. Mottley is an Attorney-at-law with a degree from the London School of Economics, specialising in advocacy. She is also a Barrister of the Bar of England and Wales.
In 2002, she became a member of the Local Privy Council. She was also admitted to the Inner Bar, becoming the youngest ever Queens Counsel in Barbados.
His Excellency José Manuel Ramos-Horta is an East Timorese politician. He has been the president of East Timor since 2022, having previously also held the position from 20 May 2007 to 20 May 2012.
Previously he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2002 to 2006 and Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007. He was a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, for working "towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor".
After East Timor achieved independence in 2002, Ramos-Horta was appointed as the country's first foreign minister. He served in this position until his resignation on 25 June 2006. On 26 June 2006, Ramos-Horta was appointed as acting Prime Minister. Two weeks later, he was sworn in as the second Prime Minister of East Timor. He was elected as President in 2007.
After leaving office as President in 2012, Ramos-Horta was appointed as the United Nations' Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) on 2 January 2013.
He was re-elected to the presidency in 2022.
Guy Bernard Parmelin is a Swiss Federal Councillor and head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.
He has been a member of the Federal Council since 2016, when he took over as head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport. Since January 2019 he has been head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.
He was president of the Swiss Confederation in 2021.
The Honourable Cheryl Sandra V. Husbands currently holds the portfolio of Minister of Training and Tertiary Education. Prior to her current position, Ms. Husbands served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
By profession, she is a management consultant. She has worked in broadcasting, sales and marketing, as well as market research, tourism, public relations and total quality management.
Additionally, she has trained in adult learning, facilitation, Covey leadership training, business process management and total quality management.
Ms. Husbands holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and Law and a Masters in International Trade Policy.
On 2 June 2025, the United Nations General Assembly elected Annalena Baerbock of Germany as President of its eightieth session, which runs from September 2025 until September 2026.
Ms. Baerbock served as Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from December 2021 until May 2025. Throughout her career, she has been a strong advocate for the multilateral system with the United Nations at its core.
She was an elected member of the German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) from 2013 until June 2025.
In 2018, she was elected co-chairperson of the Green Party and held the position of party leader until 2022.
Prior to becoming an MP, Annalena Baerbock advised her party’s parliamentary group in the German Bundestag on matters of foreign and security policy and served as chairperson of her party in the federal state of Brandenburg. From 2005 to 2008, she worked for a Member of the European Parliament.
Annalena Baerbock holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an undergraduate degree in political science from Hamburg University.
Tatiana Valovaya of the Russian Federation was appointed as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva on 30 May 2019.
Ms. Valovaya has over 35 years of extensive experience in journalism, diplomacy and government service. She is currently Member of the Board and Minister in charge of integration and macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission, the executive body of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which is responsible for implementing decisions, upholding the EEU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the Union.
She began her career with the Government of the Russian Federation in 1989 and served in various capacities, including as the Third and Second Secretary at the Russian Permanent Mission to the European Union in Brussels (1989-1994) and Deputy Director and subsequently Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Russian Federation (1999-2012). Before joining the Government of the Russian Federation, she worked as a reporter to “The Economic Gazette” in Moscow (1983-1989).
Ms. Valovaya graduated from the Department of International Economic Relations of the Moscow Financial Institute, holds a Ph.D and a Doctorate of Economic sciences from the State Financial Academy, Moscow.
A BBC-trained journalist and broadcaster, Damon Embling has 25 years of professional media and communications experience.
He has worked as a TV correspondent and presenter, video journalist, radio reporter and digital content producer in the UK and globally for a range of media outlets, including BBC News, BBC World News, Euronews and The Associated Press Television News (APTN), among others.
Mr. Embling currently divides his time between producing TV programmes and leading Headline Media UK, a company specialising in spokesperson media training, communications consultancy and video production.
He also moderates debates and discussions, both online and at international conferences/events.
