Alvaro Ramírez is an International Labor Organization officer in charge of a US-funded project aimed at strengthening tripartite social dialogue in the DR-CAFTA region. Before joining the ILO in May of 2004, Ramírez worked as the executive director of the Costa Rican peak business federation (UCCAEP) over an 8-year span. He participated in a number of tripartite entities such as the National Labor Council and the Minimum Wage Council. He was also member of the Legislative Committee on Fiscal Reform (2002-2003) and weekly columnist for La República. Ramírez was chosen in 2003 by El Financiero as one of the 40 outstanding young leaders of the country. A native of Costa Rica, Ramírez is an economist from the University of Costa Rica with a Master of Science in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.