René Castro

René Castro Salazar
Salazar in 2011
Assistant-Director General of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department
Assumed office
10 February 2016
Personal details
Born (1957-08-25) 25 August 1957
Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.
NationalityCosta Rican
American
Alma materHarvard University, University of Costa Rica
ProfessionEnvironmental economics
Civil engineer

René Castro Salazar (born 25 August 1957), was FAO's Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department Assistant-Director General and a former Costa Rican politician.

Castro was appointed Assistant Director General (ADG) of Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department by FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva in 2017, after serving one year as Forestry ADG. Formerly, he served under president-elect Laura Chinchilla as Minister of Environment and Energy; position he had also held between 1994 and 1998. Castro held several other relevant governmental positions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during 2010. He is a prominent academic with extensive international experience in the fields of Climate Change, and Sustainable Development.