New chief of UN's Vienna headquarters stresses goals of good governance, stable budget

The new head of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) assumed his post today, stressing that good governance, clear strategic priorities and a stable budget were among the major goals of his work, which includes leading the UN's key anti-crime agency.

"[It is] indeed a question of sound management and transparent working practices, but it is also about accountability through open communication with the outside," said Antonio Maria Costa, a national of Italy and formerly the Secretary-General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, who had been appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Vienna position in March.

"To enforce this process I intend, with your help, to develop new instruments of compliance, control and evaluation, and establish new venues to consult with Member States regarding their priorities," Mr. Costa said in an address to staff on his first day as UNOV Director-General. He added that good staff-management relations and internal and external communication were also high on his agenda.

Furthermore, credibility and funding were two sides of the same coin, said the new Director-General, "The resources made available to us will not be regarded as 'an entitlement to spend,' but rather as 'a commitment to deliver,'" he stressed.

In addition to his functions as UNOV Director-General, Mr. Costa will also serve as the Executive Director of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP), which is composed of the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and the UN Centre for International Crime Prevention (CICP).