SG/A/650

STAFFAN DE MISTURA APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF UN INFORMATION CENTRE IN ROME

5 September 1997


Press Release
SG/A/650
BIO/3095


STAFFAN DE MISTURA APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF UN INFORMATION CENTRE IN ROME

19970905 Biographical Note Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Staffan de Mistura, a national of Sweden, as Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Rome, effective 1 September.

Mr. de Mistura served as the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq from March through August 1997. Prior to that, he held the posts of Director of the Division of Public Affairs of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and UNICEF Representative in Somalia.

Mr. de Mistura has served the United Nations in many other capacities, including as Director of Fund-raising and External Relations of the United Nations Office of the Coordinator for Afghanistan from 1988 to 1991, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to Albania in 1990, Director of the World Food Programme operations in the Sudan in 1987 and as the Food and Agricultural Organization's Deputy Chef de Cabinet, from 1976 to 1985. In addition, he was given special humanitarian assignments to Dubrovnik, Sarajevo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Viet Nam and the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

From 1987 to 1988, Mr. de Mistura was seconded as Director-General of the World Wide Fund for Nature of Italy. He also served briefly as anchorman of the Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) UNO weekly television programme "Piacere RAI UNO", which highlighted the history and traditions of Italian cities.

Born in Sweden on 25 January 1947, Mr. de Mistura holds a Degree cum laude in Political Science and Development Economics from the University of Rome.

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For information media. Not an official record.