Lamberto Zannier (born 15 June 1954) is an Italian diplomat and lawyer.

Biography

He was OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and earlier served as the

Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of the OSCE (

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...

). Previously, from June 2008 to June 2011, Zannier served as the United Nations Special Representative for Kosovo and Head of the

United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Привремена административна мисија Уједињених нација на Косову, Privremena administrativna misija Ujedinjenih na ...

(UNMIK), with the rank of UN Undersecretary-General. He was appointed to this position by

UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

in June 2008. Zannier has served for the Foreign Service of Italy for almost 40 years. Before his appointment as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo, he played a leading role at the

Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ( or ''MAECI'') is the foreign ministry of the government of the Italian Republic. It is also known as the Farnesina as a metonym from its headquarters, the Palazzo della Farnesina ...

as a coordinator for EU Foreign Policy and as a Coordinator for EU Security and Defence issues. Between 2002 and 2006, he was Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna. In this capacity, he managed more than 20 civilian field operations in Europe and Central Asia. From 2000 to 2002, he served as Representative of Italy to the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. From 1997 to 1999, he was chairperson of the negotiations on the adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. From 1991 to 1997, he served as Head of Disarmament, Arms Control and Cooperative Security at the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

. Previously, he served in Rome, Abu Dhabi and Vienna, mainly specialising in multilateral and security affairs. He has authored several publications on security, conflict prevention and crisis management issues. He routinely holds lessons and conferences on international relations and international security. Zannier obtained a law degree and an honorary degree in international and diplomatic sciences from the University of Trieste. In 2025, he was appointed by the OSCE to head its observer team for the 2025 Albanian parliamentary election on 11 May.

Honors

Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – October 10, 2016

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zannier, Lamberto Italian diplomats 20th-century diplomats 1954 births Living people NATO officials United Nations Mission in Kosovo officials Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe University of Trieste alumni Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations People from the Province of Udine OSCE Secretaries General