Biographical Note

SECRETARY-GENERAL REAPPOINTS ANTONIO MARIA COSTA DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNITED NATIONS

OFFICE AT VIENNA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DRUG CONTROL AND CRIME PREVENTION OFFICE

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the reappointment of Antonio Maria Costa of Italy as the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.  Mr. Costa was originally appointed by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan in March 2002.

Mr. Costa previously served as the Secretary-General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London.

Mr. Costa was born on 16 June 1941 in Mondovi, Italy.  He holds a degree in political science from the University of Turin, and a Ph.D in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.  He served as visiting Professor in various universities in Europe and the United States.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Costa served as an economist in the United Nations Department of International Economics and Social Affairs between 1969 and 1983, and eventually became Head of Unit.  He was subsequently appointed Under-Secretary-General (Special Counsellor) at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris where he served until 1987.  He was a member of the OECD Working Group for the liberalization of capital flows and the control of financial transactions, as well as Alternate Member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Interim Committee and of the G-10 Group for the coordination of economic policy, public governance and international monetary affairs.

Between 1987 and 1992, he served in various capacities at the Commission of the European Union, rising to the post of Director-General for Economics and Finance.  In his former capacity as Secretary-General of EBRD, Mr. Costa oversaw political issues, institutional affairs, corporate governance and questions relating to shareholders.

Mr. Costa is married with three children.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/791-BIO/3409 dated 7 March 2002.

For information media • not an official record