The Chief of Staff oversees strategic management decisions and provides substantive support to the Director General in the strategic and day-to-day management of UNIDO and, in particular, its staff.

Mr. Karl Pelikan is also the Director-General's Special Representative for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Prior to joining UNIDO, Mr. Karl Pelikan worked in the private and public sectors, mainly in Romania and Germany.

Mr. Karl Pelikan holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Bucharest.