Costa Rican. Juris Doctor from the Autonomous University of Central America. He holds a Master’s degree in International Law and International Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid, as well as a postgraduate degree in Administrative Law from the University of Salamanca, where he is also a PhD Candidate in Political Science. He has undertaken professional development courses at Harvard University and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Mr. Tovar Rivera was appointed Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PROCOMER in May 2022, a position he continues to hold. Among his principal responsibilities is the definition and implementation of Costa Rica’s public policy on trade and investment.
Prior to his appointment, he developed a distinguished career in the public sector, serving as: Representative and Head of the Costa Rican Delegation to the OECD (2016–2021); Special Envoy to the OECD (2013–2015); Trade Attaché at the Embassy of Costa Rica to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Special Envoy to the Mission of Costa Rica to the European Union (2008–2013); and Trade Negotiator at the Ministry of Foreign Trade (2005–2008), where he was responsible for dispute resolution and institutional matters, as well as coordination of trade relations with Canada and Chile. He also served as Costa Rica’s Delegate to the World Customs Organization and to the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg.
In June 2025, Mr. Tovar Rivera chaired the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. He also served as a distinguished member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on the Future of Trade and Investment for the 2023–2024 term.
He is the recipient of the State Decoration Order of Merit, 2nd Class, awarded by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mr. Tovar Rivera speaks Spanish, English, French, and Italian.
This speaker willtalk about
Find here the list of all the sessions presented by this speaker in order not to miss any of it.
.png)