Thirty-sixth session of ECLAC

Roberto Avendaño Sancho is a Costa Rican lawyer and diplomat, and is currently Sustainable Development and Environmental Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica (since 2015).

Mr. Avendaño previously worked in the Office of Civil Defence of Crime Victims and the Office of the Deputy Fiscal for Narcotics of the Public’s Prosecutor’s Office (1998), and practised law with the firm Rojas Franco y Asociados (2000-2001). Since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship he has held a number of positions, including officer in charge of Asia in the International Cooperation Department (2002), Counsellor and Consul (2004) and Minister Counsellor and Consul General (2009) at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, D.C., legal adviser in the Legal Affairs Department (2010), and Counsellor and Consul at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Poland (2010-2015). 

Mr. Avendaño qualified in law and as a Notary Public at the University of San José, and holds postgraduate qualifications in international politics from American University in Washington, D.C. He has also completed diplomatic training courses imparted by the Foreign Service Institute of Costa Rica and Georgetown University, Washington D.C.