KABUL - On 7 November 2023, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Indrika Ratwatte of Sri Lanka as his new Deputy Special Representative (Development) for Afghanistan in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.  

He arrived in Kabul, on 10 January 2024, and will also serve as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

Mr. Ratwatte brings over 30 years of experience in humanitarian affairs and protection in complex and crisis settings, including over 14 years of working on Afghanistan and regional issues. He started his career with the United Nations in 1992, with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and continued his career with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1993. His most recent positions have included Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, where he previously also served as Deputy, and UNHCR’s Representative in Pakistan. He served with UNHCR as Deputy Representative in Tanzania and Pakistan, along with prior assignments in Thailand, Croatia, China, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Mr. Ratwatte holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, United States, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Sociology from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.  He is also an Attorney-at-Law from Sri Lanka Law College.