NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SLOVENIA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG

Matjaz Kovacic, the new Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented his credentials to Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations office at Geneva.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Kovacic had been serving as Head of the Department for International Organizations and Human Security of Slovenia. In 2009, he was a member of the Advisory Board of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security. He was National Focal Point for the Alliance of Civilizations (2007-2009) and National Coordinator for the Human Security Network (2002-2007).

Mr. Kovacic served as Ambassador of Slovenia in Morocco in 2001; Ambassador of Slovenia in Portugal from 1997 to 2001; Alternate Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations in New York from 1992 to 1996 and concurrently Consul General of Slovenia in New York. From 1990 to 1992, he served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia.

He started his career in 1977 as an assistant, first at the Executive Council of the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, and in 1978 at the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia. He was Secretary of the Council of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia for International Relations from 1982 to 1988; and Secretary of the Commission for International Relations of the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia from 1988 to 1990.

Mr. Kovacic was born on 12 September 1950. He graduated from the Faculty of Sociology, Political Science and Journalist at the University of Ljubljana in 1977. He is married with two daughters.


For use of the information media; not an official record

CR10/026E