GIOVANNA VALVERDE STARK

Is a career diplomat since 2004 and an expert in sustainable development, climate change, agriculture, commerce and finance. She has distinguished herself in many countries as a climate change and trade negotiator as well as for promoting Costa Rica’s sustainable development model.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2021 – Present      Ambasador in Kenya and Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN HABITAT

2016 – 2021          Minister Counselor and Consul General, Embassy of Costa Rica in Rome, Italy

2014 – 2016          Responsible for Environmental agenda and Chief Negotiator for negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica

2010 – 2014          Director of International Affairs and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Costa Rica

2006 – 2010          Minister Counselor, Embassy of Costa Rica in Belgium and the European Union

2004 – 2006          Minister Counselor, Embassy of Costa Rica in El Salvador and member of the Central American Integration System (SICA)

2002 – 2004          Assistant to the General Director, Coordinator of the System of Annotation on Account (SAC) and of the Project to Harmonize Public Debt, Central Bank of Costa Rica

2002                      Consultant for the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), Ministry of Finance, Costa Rica

1996 – 1999           Finance Manager, Italian Vento Power Corporation (IVPC), Avellino, Italy

1994 – 1996           Executive Director, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of San Diego, California, USA

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
  • Masters in Science in Microfinance, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium, 2009
  • Specialization in European Union Public Policies, Organización Italo-Latino Americana (IILA), Italy and Belgium, 2005
  • Postgraduate degree in Central American Integration, Fundación ETEA and University of Cordoba, Guatemala, 2004
  • Master in Business Administration, with emphasis in International Trade, San Diego State University (SDSU), 1992
  • Bachelor in Economics and Italian Literature, University of California in San Diego (UCSD), 1990
TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Spanish and Italian Professor in the Linguistics Department, University of California, San Diego, USA, 1990-1993.

LANGUAGES

Native spanish and english speaker, fluid italian, intermediate french and basic german.

CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATOR

COP25, Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 51 (UNFCCC). Negotiator in the Costa Rican Delegation, responsible for “Loss and Damages, Warsaw Mechanism”. Madrid, Spain, 29/11 – 09/12/2019.

Pre-COP25. Negotiator in the Costa Rican Delegation, in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), responsible for “Loss and Damages, Warsaw Mechanism” coordination within the G77 and China group. San José, Costa Rica, 1-9/10/2019.

COP21/CMP11 y COP22/CMP12. Informal consultations by the Moroccan Presidency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Negotiator in the Costa Rican Delegation, to address the process of ratification of the Paris Accord, the objectives for the COP22 ad synergies between the action agenda and the negotiations. Rabat, Morocco, 8-9/09/2016.

COP21, Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 43 (UNFCCC). Deputy Head of Delegation and Chief Negotiator of the Delegation of Costa Rica. Paris, France. 30/11-12/12/2020.

Bonn Intersessional Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 42 (UNFCCC). Deputy Head of Delegation and Chief Negotiator of the Delegation of Costa Rica. Bonn, Germany. June 2015.

COP20, Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 41 (UNFCCC). Deputy Head of Delegation, Chief Negotiator of the Delegation of Costa Rica and agriculture negotiator for the AILAC countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru). Lima, Peru. 1-12/12/2014.

Bonn Intersessional Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 40 (UNFCCC). Head of Costa Rican Delegation, Chief Negotiator and agriculture negotiator for the AILAC countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and Peru). Bonn, Germany. June 2014.

COP19, Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 39 (UNFCCC). Deputy Head of Delegation, Chief Negotiator of the Delegation of Costa Rica and agriculture negotiator for the AILAC countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and Peru). Warsaw, Poland. 11-22/11/2014.

Bonn Intersessional Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 38 (UNFCCC). Head of Costa Rican Delegation, Chief Negotiator and agriculture negotiator for the AILAC countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and Peru). Bonn, Germany. June 2013.

COP18, Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 37 (UNFCCC). Member of the Costa Rican Delegation, and Chief Negotiator of agriculture for the AILAC countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and Peru). Doha, Qatar. 26/11 – 07/12/2012.

Bonn Intersessional Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 36 (UNFCCC). Member of the Costa Rican Delegation, and Chief Negotiator of agriculture for the AILAC countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and Peru). Bonn, Germany. June 2012.

COP 17, Climate Change Negotiations, SBI and SBSTA 35 (UNFCCC). Participated with the Viceminister of Agriculture and Livestock, representing the Costa Rican Institute of Coffee (ICAFE), as part of the Costa Rican Delegation, in multiple side-events promoting Costa Rica’s Public Policies in Sustainable Development in the agricultural sector, including the goal of creating a Nationally Appropriated Mitigation Actions (NAMA) in the coffee sector, which was an essential part of Costa Rica’s goal in becoming Carbon Neutral 2021. Durban, South Africa, December 2012.