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Executive Director- AJSA
Mr. Manoranjan Behera is a highly experienced humanitarian and development professional from India, who has made significant contributions to the field of humanitarian work. He is the current Executive Director of AJSA India. Before joining AJSA, he worked with Plan International as the thematic lead of DRR unit, where he developed Humanitarian Surge capacity plan India and managed humanitarian response and DRR programs of Plan. For over one decade, he has campaigned and worked at the grassroots for poverty reduction, universal access to education and disaster risk governance. Concomitantly, he administered public relations, networking, and governance assistance to all the organisations with which he has been associated. Prior to his role at Plan International, he led the State Inter-Agency group (IAG) in Odisha, which is a humanitarian coalition of 30 INGO and UN agencies and over 250 associated NGOs. During his over 9 years tenure in IAG he successfully coordinated humanitarian missions of INGO’s& UN Agencies, CSOs and Government during emergency response and recovery phases of 17 mega-disasters. Since August 2022, he has also taken on the prestigious role of being a Project Selection Committee Member for Start Network, a globally renowned network comprising more than 50 national and international aid agencies across five continents.
Mr. Manoranjan is experienced in managing and coordinating multi-sector humanitarian and early recovery responses in insecure emergency contexts covering thematic sectors like Shelter, WASH, Education, Livelihoods and Child Protection. Additionally, he has been closely associated with the Government of Odisha as the Government-NGO Coordination task force member and playing a pivotal role in the conceptualization and implementation of various developmental policies & programs.
His diverse portfolio includes work with World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO), Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Unicef, UNWFP and various State Governments and development organizations in the implementation of different humanitarian emergencies, DRR &resilience building programs in India.
Recognized for his outstanding contributions, Mr. Manoranjan received the prestigious Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2019, jointly presented by Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), and the European Commission. Mr. Manoranjan has also authored several publications on DRR, Climate Justice &Sustainable Development. His insightful work has garnered acclaim and serves as a valuable resource for professionals and researchers in the field. Manoranjan, holds two master’s degrees—one from the esteemed Indian School of Business and another in Social Work from CCS University. Furthermore, he has completed the prestigious Executive Diploma in International Environmental Law and Governance, Environmental Science, from the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) and UNEP, enhancing his expertise in global environmental issues.
As a recipient of the Nuffic and Acumen Fellowships, Mr. Manoranjan has demonstrated exceptional leadership potential and a commitment to driving social impact. His comprehensive skill set, combined with his passion for creating positive change, positions him as a valuable asset in the field of humanitarian and development work.