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Italian official appointed new head of UN Office at Vienna

Italian official appointed new head of UN Office at Vienna

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed a senior banking executive from Italy as the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and head of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed a senior banking executive from Italy as the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and head of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.

Antonio Mario Costa, who replaces Pino Arlacchi, also a national of Italy, is currently the Secretary-General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London.

From 1987 to 1992, Mr. Costa served in various capacities at the Commission of the European Union, rising to the post of Director-General for Economics and Finance. Earlier in his career, he served as an economist in the UN Department of International Economics and Social Affairs, where he became Head of Unit.

Mr. Costa, who has a PhD in economics from the University of California at Berkley, was also a visiting professor in various universities in Europe and the United States.