One of Picco's final acts while working during that same period at the U.N. was to lead a round of talks in 1992 on early plans to set up what became the U.N.
Riza's role in setting up the Alliance was intertwined at least briefly in early 2005 with Giandomenico Picco, whom Annan also tapped as a link between the old Dialogue and the new Alliance.