Antonia De Meo
Antonia De Meo is an American lawyer and diplomat, currently serving as the Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). Early life. Antonia De Meo was born and raised in California, United States. Her paternal family is of Italian American descent, having emigrated to the United States from the south of Italy in the 1920s and her maternal family is of Swiss Mennonite descent; she holds dual American and Italian nationality. She received a Bachelor of Art's degree at Wellesley College in 1989, before receiving a Juris Doctor degree from Lewis  and Clark Law School in 1994, where she was on the official law review, and a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, where she was a Public Service Fellow. Licensed to practice law in the States of Oregon and Washington, Antonia De Meo worked as a trial attorney and municipal prosecutor in federal and state courts before pursuing a career in international development and human rights work. International career. Antonia De Meo began her international career at the American Bar Association’s Central and East European Law Initiative in  Moldova, where she worked from 1999 to 2000. In 2000, she joined the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving as Deputy Registrar until 2003. She worked as the Anti-Trafficking and Gender Advisor for the Mission to Moldova of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from 2005 to 2007. United Nations career. Antonia De Meo commenced her United Nations career at the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine, where she worked from 2009 to 2011. From 2011 to 2014, she held senior management positions with the United Nations  Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka and Sudan. From 2014 to 2017, Antonia De Meo served as the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is the largest UN agency. From 2018 to 2020, she held dual positions as the Chief of the Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Service at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Libya. Director at UNICRI. On 1 July 2020, Antonia De Meo was appointed the Director  of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute by Secretary-General António Guterres. She was preceded by Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas. References.