Indrika Ratwatte is the Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, OCHA. He started his official duties on 1 June 2026. Prior to this, he served as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), where he was also the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.
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 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1993. His most recent positions include Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, where he also previously served as Deputy, and UNHCR Representative in Pakistan. He has also served with UNHCR as Deputy Representative in the United Republic of Tanzania and Pakistan, along with prior assignments in Thailand, Croatia, China, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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.
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