Biographical Note
BKK/CP/03
17 April 2005
Antonio Maria Costa, Director-General, United Nations Office at Vienna, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Mr. Antonio Maria Costa (Italy) was appointed in May 2002 Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV). He holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Mr. Costa was born on 16 June 1941 in Italy. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Turin (1963), a Degree in mathematical economics from the Moscow State University (1967), and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley (1971).
From 1969 to 1983, Mr. Costa served as senior economist in the United Nations Department of International Economics and Social Affairs in New York. He was subsequently appointed Under-Secretary-General 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 financial transactions (later called FATF), a Member of IMF/World Bank Interim Committee and of the
G-10 Group for the coordination of economic policy.
Between 1987 and 1992, Mr. Costa served at the Commission of the European Union as Director-General for Economics and Finance. In that capacity he served as European Union Sherpa for the G-8 meetings. He then joined the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD, in London) as Secretary-General where he oversaw political issues, institutional affairs, corporate governance and questions relating to shareholders.
Mr. Costa easily speaks a number of languages, including Russian.
Mr. Costa is married with three children, adopted from Italy, Colombia and Ethiopia.
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