José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs is a Costa Rican economist and has served as executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) since 2022. With extensive experience in international organizations, he previously held various senior positions at the International Labor Organization (ILO), including regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean and assistant director-general for Policy. He also served as Costa Rica’s minister of foreign trade and director of the Trade Unit at the Organization of American States (OAS).

At ECLAC, he is driving an agenda aimed at accelerating Latin America’s productive transformation, improving competitiveness, promoting the creation of quality jobs, and fostering more inclusive and sustainable growth. He is the author of numerous publications on economic development, international trade and productive policies and has taught at universities in the Americas and Europe.