Colombian named top UN official for economic and social affairs

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed José Antonio Ocampo of Colombia as Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

Mr. Ocampo - who replaces Nitin Desai as chief of the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs - will start his duties at the beginning of September. He has been serving as Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) since 1998.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Ocampo held a number of posts in the Colombian Government, including Minister of Finance and Public Credit, and Minister of Agriculture. He obtained his doctorate in Economics from Yale University.