Officer in Charge / Deputy Resident Representative

Mr. Vrkic is currently serving as UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative to Papua New Guinea. He has served as the head of the UNDP’s Environment, Energy and Climate Change portfolio as well as the UN’s Senior Climate Adviser in Papua New Guinea. Prior to this, he was the Chief of Aid Operations for Australia's High Commission to Port Moresby where he also served as the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Response Coordinator.

Mr. Vrkic has previously served as a senior political adviser to the Australian Government on Asia-Pacific foreign policy matters, overseas development assistance and climate change. He has held the position of Chief-of-Staff at the Pacific Islands Forum and a range of other senior diplomatic, program and policy positions with the Australian Agency for International Development, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Private Sector.

He has a Master's Degree in International Relations (with distinction) from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Arts with honours (first class) from the University of Wollongong. He has extensive experience delivering programs, policy reform and humanitarian response in developing countries, particularly in small island developing states and fragile contexts.