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Maritza Chan
Costa Rican diplomat and Permanent Representative to the UN From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Maritza Chan Valverde (born 3 April 1975) (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈɾitsa tʃan βalˈβeɾðe] ⓘ) is a Costa Rican career diplomat, academic, and activist. She was appointed Ambassador, and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations on 26 August 2022.[1] She is the first Costa Rican woman to occupy the role since Costa Rica signed the UN Charter in 1945.[2][3]
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Education
Chan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Costa Rica and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies and Government from Georgetown University.[4]
Diplomatic career
Chan began her public service in 1998 as a speechwriter for the President of Costa Rica, until 2002. Between 2002 and 2005, she was assigned to the Costa Rican Embassy in Washington, D.C. From 2005 to 2009, she served as Minister-Counsellor at Costa Rica's Mission to the Organization of American States.[5]
From 2010 to 2015, she served as Minister-Counsellor at Costa Rica's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. In 2018, she returned to Washington, D.C., as Head of the Political Section of the Costa Rican Embassy, serving until 2020.[6]
In March 2020, she was appointed Deputy Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, an office she held until she was appointed Permanent Representative in August 2022.[7]
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United Nations leadership
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In June 2024, Chan was elected Chair of the UN General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) by acclamation for its 79th session.[8] She became the first female Permanent Representative to preside over the Committee in the history of the United Nations. She is preceded only by Mona Juul of Norway, who chaired the First Committee in 2006 in her capacity as Deputy Permanent Representative.[9][10]
She served as President of the Fourth Review Conference (RevCon4) of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, held from 18 to 28 June 2024.[11] Chan was also vice-chair of the Open-Ended Working Group on Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management (2022–2023),[12] and served as Costa Rica's lead negotiator during the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations (2010–2015).
In 2025, she also served as vice-president of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.[13] Chan is a member of the International Advisory Council of the International Peace Institute[14] Chan was later elected President of the 70th session of the commission, scheduled to be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to 20 March 2026.[15]
Other international roles
Chan has served as President of the UNICEF Executive Board in 2022 and as vice-president of the executive board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS in 2023.[16] She was elected vice-president of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2025, overseeing the Humanitarian Affairs Segment,[17] and a board member of the UN Democracy Fund.[18]
Role in artificial intelligence governance
In November 2024, Chan was appointed as one of two co-facilitators for intergovernmental consultations on artificial intelligence governance at the United Nations.[19] The consultations focused on the creation of two proposed mechanisms: an Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and a Global Digital Compact dialogue platform. These initiatives were intended to support discussions among Member States on issues related to the global governance of AI technologies. The appointment was made by Philémon Yang, President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.[20]
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Honors and recognition
Chan was recognized by the UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), as an agent for change advocating for arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation in 2014 and 2021.[21]
See also
References
External links
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