UNITED NATIONS, March 1: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday named the outgoing head of the World Trade Organization, Supachai Panitchpakdi, as secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).

"Dr Supachai has done an outstanding job as director-general of the WTO, particularly in pushing forward the very difficult process of the Doha round, on which rests many hopes for economic progress in developing countries," said the UN secretary-general in a statement.

"In him the United Nations, and the developing world, will have an advocate of incomparable authority in the trade arena," Mr Annan said. A former deputy prime minister of Thailand, Dr Supachai, 58, has been WTO director since September 2002.

Based in Geneva, the 40-year-old Unctad helps developing countries integrate into the world economy, and provides technical assistance and research on trade and development issues. Among those Mr Annan was considering for the post was Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram.