Prior to his appointment in UNDP Philippines, Mr. Mitra was the Senior Strategic Planning Adviser and Head of the Integrated Coordination Office for Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq. He led the preparation of the UN Development Assistance Framework for Iraq and supported the coordination of the humanitarian response to the massive displacement caused by the entry of ISIL into the country. Even prior to that, he was the Minister Counsellor and the Head of the Australian Agency for International Development’s (AusAID) aid program to the Philippines from 2007-2011. Many years he was with AusAID, managing programs focused on social development, economic reform, governance, and infrastructure in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, China, Indonesia, and Timor Leste. He has also led humanitarian responses in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific, as Humanitarian Emergencies Director for AusAID and Global Emergency Director for CARE International.