Carlos Sanz de Santamaría was the 18th Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations, and twice served as Ambassador of Colombia to the United States; he also served as the Chairman of the Inter-American Committee on the Alliance for Progress, the precursor of the Organization of American States. A Colombian civil engineer by training, he gained national acclaim for his work in the constructions of the aqueducts of Santa Marta, Riohacha, and Buenaventura, and the Vitelma Water Treatment Plant in Bogotá, and was hoisted to the national stage for his endeavours first as Mayor of Bogotá and then went on to occupy different executive ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of War, and serving as the 9th Minister of National Economy and the 26th and 41st Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia.

The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the financial and budgetary matters of the country as well as implementing the financial policies passed by Congress, equivalent to the finance ministries of other countries.