Laura Thompson 939

Laura Thompson was elected the deputy director general of the International Organization for Migration in September 2009. She previously served as ambassador and permanent representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to her work at the United Nations, Amb. Thompson served as the first secretary and later counselor at the permanent mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations in Geneva. She served as cultural attaché of the delegation of Costa Rica to UNESCO in Paris in 1989. Amb. Thompson has held various posts as legal counsel to the United Nations Compensation Commission and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Costa Rica.