Ambassador Ricupero was UNCTAD’s fifth Secretary-General from 1995 to 2004. Previously, he served as the Brazilian Minister of the Environment and the Amazon, and also as Minister of Finance, in which he supervised the launching of the Brazilian economic stabilization program.

His diplomatic posts have included Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva; Ambassador to the United States of America; and Ambassador to Italy. At the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), he served as Chairman of the Council of Representatives; Chairman of the Contracting Parties; Chairman of the Committee on Trade and Development; and Chairman and Spokesman of the Informal Group of Developing Countries.

Ambassador Ricupero also headed the Brazilian delegations to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the Conference on Disarmament, both in Geneva, and served as Chairman of the Finance Committee at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.