Marianne, International Security

Coming from France, Marianne Chmitelin has graduated in International Security. >She works as Delegate in the Weapon Contamination Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, Afghanistan

What is your role and main responsibilities? 

My role is to assess the needs of the Afghan people in relation to the risks related to the presence of mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices. In the past 3 months only, more than 200 Afghan people were injured or died because of those items. My role is to raise awareness, promote safer behaviors in communities, find alternatives to risk takers and coordinate and advocate for the clearance of those items in national and international fora.

How did you secure this role? 

I have been working for five years in the Humanitarian Mine Action sector, mainly in the Sahel region (Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso) for two different international NGOs : Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and Humanity and Inclusion (HI). I applied for the ICRC in 2017 and 2019, but got rejected twice at very early stages of the recruitment process. I guess I needed to gain more field experience before joining such an organization... The third time I applied, it worked. It is also important to mention that the mine action sector is quite small, and after five years, I had a wider understanding of how it worked, as well as a relative recognition in the region I was working in. This probably helped as well.

 What is the most fascinating and/or surprising aspect at your role?

I feel extremely privileged to be able to travel in Afghanistan in such a critical period for the country, where very few humanitarian actors still have access to the field. This is absolutely incredible. The aid sector in general is a fascinating one: you get to work with affected communities, local leaders, regional and national authorities, the UN, diplomats, interact with journalists... Some of your colleagues are former militaries, others engineers or surgeons. Diversity is probably the most interesting part of the job.

How did your PSIA experience help you with the role? 

PSIA made me discover a various range of possible carreers, from counter terrorism, diplomacy, intelligence or transitional justice. I followed courses about military strategy, genocides and mass violence, communications in developing countries (this last one probably marked me the most...). I guess that thanks to this, PSIA student do have a great capacity to adapt to very different and challenging working environments and actors.

What advice would you give to others? 

If you are willing to work in the aid sector, I would give you two advices. First, we are increasingly working with data. Knowing how to collect, analyze and interpret data is highly valued in the sector, and very few people have both the technical and analytical skills to work with it. I personally underestimated the importance of the STATA quantitative data class (which I validated only thanks to a great, great PSIA fellow...), and I do tend to regret it today. And last, but not least, working in developing countries is not always easy. It is fundamental to think and care about mental health. This sector is as fascinating as frustrating and tiring. You should always listen to yourself, accept that your family will probably never understand your work and life (and it’s ok...), and try to keep an healthy personal/ professional balance. Which is probably one of the main challenges in such careers.

• About the International Committee of the Red Cross
• About the Master in International Security