“I believe that this day dedicated to Women on March 8 holds great importance”

Michele Dominique Raymond is a political strategist and an expert in policy advice & international relations. During her chequered career of over 25 years – Michele has overseen and implemented cooperation agreements for economic development, humanitarian assistance, and project planning. She has co-designed, formulated, launched, and led several high-level political conferences, programs, and negotiations, mostly in the context of diplomatic and economic cooperation with the European Union (EU).

Michele provides sought-after leadership in matters of human development, women empowerment, and culture. She creates viable and sustainable pathways for funding and compliance for NGOs, private firms, and public constituencies. She is passionate about fostering collaboration and dialogue among diverse stakeholders and advancing global peace and security.

Michele holds a Master of Arts in International Relations and Affairs from the Université libre de Bruxelles and a degree in Clinical and Pathological Psychology from the Sorbonne.

Praveen Gupta (PG). You have a degree in Clinical and Pathological Psychology from the Sorbonne. Would you please talk me through what this subject is about? Were there many women studying this when you were a student?

Michele Dominique Raymond (MDR): As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to become a psychologist. Thus, after completing a bachelor’s degree in my country of origin, I moved to France, where I was admitted to pursue doctoral studies in clinical and pathological psychology at University René Descartes, Paris V – Sorbonne. I always felt a profound calling to explore the human psyche in its depths, its wounds, its resilience, its mysteries and the subtle processes through which healing becomes possible.

In time, I came to discern that beyond the work of tending to trauma, psychology offers individuals a way to inhabit their lives amid uncertainty, to withstand social inequalities, the pressures of natural and now climatic upheavals and the asymmetries of power, wealth that shape our collective existence on earth. My academic journey at La Sorbonne trained me to listen with precision and patience, a skill that would later prove invaluable in diplomacy. It taught me to look beyond formal narratives, to attend to what is spoken and unspoken and to analyze human behavior as it unfolds within its cultural, social, and institutional landscapes.

Back when I was studying in Paris, psychology was a predominantly female field; women were far more numerous than men. However, leadership and authority, both in academia and later in international institutions, remained largely male-dominated. This disconnect between expertise and power left a strong impression on me and partly explains why my professional trajectory increasingly focused on women’s leadership, governance, and structural empowerment rather than symbolic representation.

PG: You provide sought-after leadership in matters of human development, women empowerment, and culture. What are the unique current challenges and how are they any different from when you first started?

MDR: When I first entered this field, the central challenges in human development, women’s empowerment and cultural policy were largely framed within the paradigms of access, participation and institutional strengthening. My work focused on expanding educational opportunities, addressing structural gender disparities and supporting cultural initiatives that could foster social cohesion and national identity. Although complex, these issues evolved within relatively stable socio-political environments and were guided by long-term development frameworks.

“It is clear that women are often both the most exposed to systemic risks and the least included in decision-making processes

Today, the landscape has shifted in ways that are both profound and unprecedented. One of the most striking evolutions I have observed is that human development is now shaped by intersecting global pressures like urban resilience, migration, climate related disruptions, climate action, demographic shifts, digital transformation, widening social inequalities and the erosion of public trust in institutions. Women’s empowerment must contend not only with persistent structural barriers but also with new forms of precarity linked to technology, misinformation and geopolitical volatility. It is clear that women are often both the most exposed to systemic risks and the least included in decision-making processes.

When I began my career, empowerment strategies were often sectoral and incremental. Today, what distinguishes the current moment is the acceleration of uncertainty and the multiplication of asymmetries of power, resources and vulnerability.  The task is no longer solely to promote inclusion but to equip individuals and communities with the capacities to navigate volatility, negotiate unequal power relations and sustain dignity environments marked by rapid and often destabilizing change. From my own analytical perspective, these dynamics define the contemporary challenges of leadership in human development, gender equity and cultural policy. This requires not only technical solutions, but political will, institutional courage, and culturally sensitive leadership.

PG: Are sustainable pathways for funding and compliance for NGOs, private firms, and public constituencies getting any easy?

MDR: From my experience managing and negotiating multi-country programs, sustainable funding and compliance pathways have become significantly more complex, conditional, more interdependent but also more revealing. It has clearly evolved from administrative requirements into strategic governance and risk management issues. Working closely with EU funding mechanisms, UN agencies, and the World Bank, I observed early on that access to durable financing depends less on the availability of funds than on an institution’s capacity to demonstrate credibility, foresight, and control over risk.

“Today, donors and partners increasingly expect organizations… to anticipate climate, social, and political risks, and to integrate them into decision-making frameworks

There used to be a time, the primary challenges involved securing predictable funding streams, meeting baseline reporting requirements and aligning projects with national development priorities. The regulatory environment was comparatively stable and accountability framework were largely linear: donors sets expectations, implementers complied and governments monitored.

Today, donors and partners increasingly expect organizations, whether NGOs, public institutions, or private actors, to anticipate climate, social, and political risks, and to integrate them into decision-making frameworks. Compliance today is no longer a purely administrative exercise or about checking boxes. It reflects broader expectations around transparency, accountability, risk mitigation, and long-term impact in volatile environments. Nowadays, the landscape has shifted dramatically. This is where governance intelligence and, increasingly, risk-informed and technology-enabled approaches become essential. Funding is increasingly fragmented, competitive and tied to performance metrics that demand real-time data, demonstrable impact and cross-sector collaboration.

In this sense, sustainability is increasingly linked to governance intelligence and risk awareness – areas where technology, data, and innovation can play a constructive role, provided they remain aligned with human development objectives.

In my view, the organizations that succeed are those that treat compliance, ESG principles, and risk management as enablers of strategy rather than constraints.

“The difficulty today lies not only in securing resources or meeting standards but in sustaining trust across sectors, across borders…

In this sense, the difficulty today lies not only in securing resources or meeting standards but in sustaining trust across sectors, across borders and across communities whose expectations have evolved. Sustainable pathways exist but they require adaptive leadership cross-sector partnerships and a commitment to transparency that goes far beyond what was expected when I first entered the field. When human development objectives are aligned with transparent governance, climate resilience, and robust risk assessment, funding becomes not only more accessible, but also more sustainable and transformative.

PG: Dedicating just one day (as IWD) each year does it really serve any purpose? How can more and women assume critical leadership roles?

MDR: I believe that this day dedicated to Women on March 8 holds great importance. It is worth what it is worth, yet its symbolic weight remains undeniable. It reminds the world of the intrinsic worth of women and the essential role they play in our societies. It provides a moment for recognition, a time to awaken our collective consciousness and to renew our promises to do better in the future. It is a moment to honor women’s courage on a daily basis, to celebrate their strength, and to come together around a unifying theme.

However, experience has taught me that visibility and ceremonial events alone are insufficient. Indeed, the structural conditions that shape women’s lives do not shift in twenty-four hours.  IWD has meaning only if it is embedded in a longer-term strategy in relation with structural transformation which requires sustained investment in education, leadership pipelines, access to finance, and institutional reform. It also requires challenging deeply rooted norms within organizations and political systems.

“IWD has meaning only if it is embedded in a longer-term strategy in relation with structural transformation…

Women ask for nothing more than to be recognized in their capacity to lead and to exercise leadership. They lack access to the arenas where decisions are shaped and future negotiated. Very often, in speeches delivered in international forums, it is customary that men leader is generous enough to praise the great capacities of women. Yet these declarations frequently remain at the level of good intentions and are not followed by concrete action. If more women are to assume critical leadership roles, there must be a genuine willingness to rethink the system, the leadership models and to make room for them in redistributing decision-making power. 

PG: Suddenly DEI seems to have disappeared from the radar as has ESG. Does it work and feel any different? Where is all the inclusivity?

MDR: It is striking how quickly DEI seems to have slipped from the radar, just as ESG has lost visibility in many institutional agendas. The language of inclusion has not disappeared but it has become quieter, more cautious, sometimes even defensive.

In my work on risk mapping, climate resilience, sustainable cities, and human development, inclusivity has proven effective only when embedded in governance structures, budgetary decisions, and accountability mechanisms. DEI and ESG must inform how risks are identified, how priorities are set, and how leadership is exercised. The real challenge today is restoring substance and trust.

Inclusivity cannot be performative; it must be operational. This is where I see a strong convergence between governance, climate action, risk technology, and human development. When these dimensions are aligned, inclusion becomes not only a moral imperative, but a strategic necessity. Throughout my career, I have come to see human development, governance, climate action, and risk management as deeply interconnected. Sustainable progress depends on our ability to address them together, with clarity, courage, and a strong grounding in human realities.

PG: Thank you very much Michele for a brilliant holistic perspective on what makes and breaks diversity & inclusion. Not only do you unravel the silos but also make us realise all that converge into it.