Driving Global Leadership in Ocean and Climate Policy, by Franz Tattenbach, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica

Franz Tattenbach is Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy, bringing to the role over three decades of experience in environmental policy, sustainable development, and climate diplomacy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University and is a Ph.D. candidate at the same institution.

Minister Tattenbach has played a pivotal role in shaping Costa Rica’s global environmental leadership. He served as the country’s Climate Change Ambassador from 1996 to 2004 and was Team Leader of USAID’s FORESTA program in the early 1990s. He also led FUNDECOR—one of Costa Rica’s leading environmental NGOs—which received the King Baudouin International Development Prize in 2000. From 2010 to 2012, he served as President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), further deepening his global engagement in sustainability policy.

A strong advocate for nature-based solutions and international cooperation, Minister Tattenbach has been instrumental in advancing Costa Rica’s environmental initiatives on the world stage.

At the UNOC3 side event “Delivering on the 2030 Sustainable Ocean Economy: Pledge to Develop Ocean Accounts by 2030”, Minister Tattenbach will deliver remarks during the official launch of “The Pledge to Advance Ocean Accounts by 2030”, reinforcing Costa Rica’s commitment to evidence-based ocean governance and global collaboration for the sustainable use of marine resources.