The road to excellence: Leadership perspectives
- Diego Fernández-Shaw Morales
- Jun 3
- 9 min read
Leading with Purpose: A Journey of Passion, Resilience and Impact
Interview with Sheeba Harma, Regional Gender Advisor for UNICEF Europe and Central Asia
24 May 2025 | Interviewed by Amrutha Nair
Q1. Your journey from Kerala, Southern state in India to leading gender equality efforts at UNICEF in Europe and Central Asia is inspiring. What sparked your passion for this field and how did those early years shape your career?
From an early age, I was drawn towards getting engaged in activities that would be effective in people’s lives. I pursued and accepted every opportunity I had to be involved in community-level initiatives, whether it was volunteering with environmental causes, assisting the elderly, or advocating for social issues through various platforms my school and community provided. I also had the opportunity to assume leadership roles from my school days, such as being class leader for several consecutive years — those early experiences laid the foundation for my core values, leadership skills, and personal and work ethics. Much of who I am today and what is needed as an International Civil Servant with the UN — the humility, compassion, emotional intelligence — all came from these early experiences.
Growing up in Kerala in the 1980s was quite different from what young people are exposed to these days. During my school and college years, we had little access to the internet and information like today, I spent a lot of time in public libraries, inspired by my mother and
uncle, who encouraged me to actively read and engage in meaningful civil service activities. I read about travel, cultures, world literature, politics, and international issues — refugees, migrants, social justice — including on diverse career pathways, and whatever information I could gather on civil service professions. This instilled the spark in me to work in international development and the UN, even though that field and depth of information was not readily available in Kerala at the time for UN aspirants.
Eventually, when I actively pursued my PhD at IIT Delhi, I got the opportunity to sign up as a UN volunteer. Building core skills is very important and as I look back, the experience I gained from studying French language in my college days to securing competitive international scholarships that took me to institutions like the UN University in Tokyo, and the European Peace University in Austria, getting the opportunity to interact with participants from other countries and exposure to global development topics, led me towards wider international development and country experiences at a very early stage of my career. I was also fortunate enough to avail and learn from leadership opportunities at the beginning of my career, with my first job being that of a program manager, responsible for managing multi-cultural teams, budgets, and exciting portfolios.
Over the past 22 years, I have worked across multiple regions in both development and humanitarian contexts, focusing on women and girls’ empowerment, enhancing education and protection systems, skill building for young people, access to justice, health, and policy implementation, institutional reforms and system strengthening. The spark that began in Kerala has taken me on a global journey and several opportunities for which I am profoundly grateful.
Q2. You have held transformative roles, like leading the organizational reform of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs and managing gender focused country relationships and partnerships in South Asia. What is a defining moment from those experiences that prepared you for leading in Europe and Central Asia?
There is no single defining moment — we grow through many experiences. Each context, each challenge contributes to our resilience. Throughout my career, I have come to understand the scale and complexity of development and humanitarian work. Whether in South Asia or now in Europe and Central Asia, the focus has always been on long-term solutions — empowering communities, driving system change, and making sure that policies turn into sustainable action.
In conflict settings like Afghanistan and Nigeria, I learned the importance of being responsible, calm, prepared, and deeply aware of your own strengths. “You know what your own strength is, and knowing that, helps you understand the impact you're bringing.” Often, I was one of the few women — and sometimes the only Asian woman — in high-level meetings. “You have to be a role model, step out of your comfort zone, and come to the table prepared with clarity, confidence, and solutions, and most importantly, the diplomatic acumen you develop to navigate complex situations.”
These are not the skills you are taught. They are learned over time. Leadership, especially for women, involves balancing diplomacy with decisiveness. As a senior UN leader today, I try to embody collective leadership — building teams, recognizing and nurturing talent, and ensuring shared vision and purpose. “You have to harness the collective — that’s how you build strong networks and resilient teams.”
What prepared me most was staying true to my own values — work ethic, trust, integrity — and understanding that leadership must be contextual. “Every region has its unique challenges, and we must actively listen and adapt our strategies while staying anchored to our principles.”
Q3. In Europe and Central Asia, you may have addressed complex issues like bride kidnappings and gender-based violence. What is the toughest obstacle you have faced in driving change, and how did you tackle it?
Not many people realize that the ECA region is incredibly complex. When I transitioned from South Asia, many assumed it would be smoother with not many complex social issues. But I quickly learned how challenging it is. There’s fragmentation of political consensus when it comes to gender equality, there is huge backlash against and slow progress, even within the EU.
Violence against women and girls is by far the most widespread gender issue here. “One in ten women in the EU have experienced physical or sexual violence. Yet only one in six will report it, and one-third of victims do not even talk about it.” That silence, combined with “inadequate service provision and lack of support,” makes it a deep-rooted problem. We also see newer forms post-COVID — cyber violence, grooming, and trafficking — all disproportionately targeting women and girls.
The biggest barrier is entrenched social norms and the normalization of violence. Tackling it requires a multi-sectoral approach. “For UNICEF, we know there needs to be multiple solutions across multiple sectors — from health and education to protection systems and social policy.” But even in advanced countries, data systems are weak, and service providers are few and that should be addressed as a priority. In some countries, “you’ll find fewer than five trained mental health workers nationwide.”
Globally, no country is on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. That’s why we must double down the work we are doing to accelerate progress. The work I did in South Asia and in other regions beforehand gave me a foundation. “If girls in South Asia face undervaluation, the same holds true in the ECA region.” We must tailor solutions to each context but always recognize that systemic change begins with valuing girls and women equally.
Q4. Your work on initiatives like the STEMinists Network empowers girls in technology across your region. Can you share a success story from this program—or another—that felt like a personal milestone?
One of the initiatives I am most proud of is the STEM for All partnership between UNICEF and UNDP. Its conceptualization began during the COVID-19 lockdown and has grown into a regional platform connecting hundreds of girls with mentors and role models in STEM fields. Today, it is a widely used resource across the ECA region and beyond, helping girls access digital skills, mentorship, STEM role models, learning events and career opportunities.
Why does this matter? Because more than 90% of future jobs will require digital skills, firmly rooted in STEM, and many of these roles continued to be male-dominated. “STEM for All” is about ensuring the equal participation of men and women in technology, science, and innovation and empower women to remain competative in the labour market. It is UNICEF`s major focus in the ECA region when it comes to adolescent girls.
It is about breaking down barriers — in classrooms, in teaching practices, in career pathways, and in mindsets. We work through education systems to ensure girls are not boxed into traditional subject streams but have a clear path from education to employability, including green and digital jobs, STEM, and entrepreneurship.
A personal highlight for me was co-leading a Pan-Asia summit in Bangkok last year with girls from 19 countries — from Central to Southeast Asia. UNICEF, UNEP, UN Women collaborated to bring together young female climate and STEM activists and had many inspiring exchanges of ideas such as green skills for girls, green jobs in the STEM areas, ecoprenurship, climate solutions led by girls. I thought for a second that “Would I have had such opportunities at 14?” These girls are connected to a range of networks and opportunities, confident, solution-oriented and ready to lead.
Empowering girls through platforms like this is not just programmatic—it is deeply personal. We are unlocking leadership, resilience, and voice. And that, to me, is one of the most meaningful ways we can build a better future and our human capital.
"Often, I was one of the few women — and sometimes the only Asian woman — in high-level meetings. You have to be a role model, step out of your comfort zone, and come to the table prepared with clarity, confidence, and solutions and most importantly, the diplomatic acumen you develop to navigate complex situations."
Q5. In your view, how have the dynamics of global health evolved over time? What key areas of global health or critical regional priorities should continue to receive sustained investment and attention, especially in light of the current challenges related to global health funding and resources?
There have been considerable investments across global health — in maternal health, nutrition, in parenting, and frontline services like home-visiting nurses. However, when we look at age-specific investments, adolescent girls remain significantly underserved. Their health needs often fall through the cracks, especially when they face early marriage, harmful practices like FGM, or gender-based violence — all of which have devastating long-term health consequences.
“Global data shows that in 2025 alone, around 12 million girls are expected to marry before age 18 — many will also become mothers early, with serious implications for their health and futures.” We need a more holistic view of health — one that integrates health service provision with education, protection, and gender equality considerations.
In humanitarian contexts, these issues are magnified. Limited access to services, low decision-making power within households, and weakened systems can amplify existing risks. Adolescent girls in conflict or displacement often experience poor mental health, stress from caregiving roles, and pressure to conform to restrictive gender norms — yet these issues receive minimal health investment.
Mental health in particular needs stronger integration with primary healthcare, especially early intervention for vulnerable groups. Another urgent priority is HPV vaccination — access and affordability remain challenging in parts of Europe and Central Asia, and system gaps in immunization persist.
We must also strengthen the health workforce. In many countries, community health and nutrition workers are mostly women — yet they remain underpaid, undervalued, and unsupported. “Professionalizing and protecting this frontline workforce is essential to ensuring equitable, quality care.” We need to see greater investments towards strengthening health systems in addressing violence, in particular against women and girls.
Finally, we must work with parents, caregivers, and communities to promote health-seeking behaviors. “Quality, gender-responsive primary healthcare — supported by sustained funding and political will — is what will truly make the difference.”
Q6. What advice would you offer to students and young professionals who are aspiring to work in the development sector or global health? Do you believe the global development sector remains a promising career choice for young professionals today? Why?
Indeed-despite funding challenges, the global development sector remains highly relevant and meaningful. The SDGs are still urgent, and the world needs more young leaders committed to peace, equity, and resilient systems. For students and young professionals, I always say: start educating yourself. Learn about global issues and the range of sectors within development — from health, education, and human rights to peacebuilding, climate change, and social protection.
Take courses, pursue internships, volunteer and learn from the field— information is right at your fingertips. Invest in building professional skills and explore where your personal strengths lie. Are you someone who thrives in the field with implementing programs? Or are you more effective in a headquarters setting — analyzing data, providing technical guidance, advocating with partners, raising resources? There is a role for everyone. So, steering yourself to select the most suitable position will help you have the clarity and expertise required for pursuing career pathways and interviews.
Language skills are also vital — French, Spanish, Arabic — especially if you are aiming to work internationally. Just as important is your self-awareness and ability to adapt to local cultures, remain resilient, and navigate complex environments. I’ve worked in places where conflict was part of daily life, and in those situations, you quickly learn the importance of knowing your limits, your strengths, and what helps you cope- because that's what allows you to stay and keep delivering, especially for the most marginalized and affected communities.
“Familiarize yourself with the UN Competency Framework — it helps you reflect on your values, motivations, and leadership potential.” Many ask whether you need a PhD to work in this space. While this is indeed valued and important for specific technical advisory posts, it is not necessary for all of the functions. The sector also needs diverse technical skills — from finance, administration, logistics, and communications to ICT, security, and supply chain. UN jobs span multiple levels and entry points — internships, volunteering, consultancy, junior professional roles, general service, and senior professional post categories. If you are serious, build your skills, get basic field experiences, develop a strong CV, explore UN websites and platforms like Inspira to register your personal profile, always tailor your application to the specific job requirements, and be open to growing through different career paths. The world needs talented young professionals more than ever — and there’s space for every skill set and background in building a more just and sustainable world.
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