Interview:
Joël Weiler,
Executive Director

Before we turn to your time as Executive Director of MdM, can you remind us briefly about your background? What drew you to humanitarian work?

I think my involvement stemmed from a thirst for adventure and a desire to understand the world. From a very early age, I felt the need to explore other realities.

I hadn’t yet developed the political convictions that I later acquired with Médecins du Monde, but I certainly had a deep-rooted desire for social justice.

I studied maths and civil engineering and worked as a bricklayer but adventure was calling me. My first mission, to Mali, was a deciding factor. It was 1992, I was 20 years old, and it really was a turning point in my life. I signed up again in 1995. From that point onwards, my life has been all about humanitarian work. I was almost constantly in the field for twenty years, on long missions to Mali, Burkina Faso, Vietnam, Sudan, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, interspersed with shorter missions in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. I have worked with many NGOs of very different sizes. These two decades in the field shaped my life.

I joined Médecins du Monde in 2010 as General Coordinator, then moved to head up the Emergency Unit at the end of 2013. I was appointed Executive Director on 1 April 2017.

Since you joined Médecins du Monde, what would you say has had the biggest emotional impact on you?

I have so many powerful memories. From the field, obviously, but also from headquarters where the staff and volunteers are engaged in different but just as powerful ways! Over the course of thirty years, I have seen so many intense things and I am aware of how fortunate I have been. Spontaneously, the first answer that comes to mind would be the border crossings in Syria. Médecins du Monde teams and equipment crossed the borders clandestinely and at considerable risk. But it was essential for us to be able to respond appropriately to the crisis. This is just one illustration of the extreme commitment and unfailing determination shown by Médecins du Monde teams. Closer to home, the “Jungle” in Calais also springs to mind. We’ve often said it but never actually believed we could see such a situation arising in France.

On a personal level, I am always moved when I think about the murders of our colleagues in Nigeria and, more recently, in Palestine.

What projects are you proudest of from your time as Executive Director?

In nine years, there have been quite a few! Some are obviously very practical, in the field, such as our position on abortion and the courage of our teams around the world to ensure women have the right to choose.

I also think of the creation of Médecins du Monde Türkiye, which illustrated our desire to enlarge the Médecins du Monde network, move us closer to our fields of intervention and ensure the network wasn’t “reserved” for countries in the Global North. Our approach has changed a lot over the years and now there are fewer expatriate employees and more and more strategic partnerships. We are Colombians in Colombia, Syrians in Syria …

Other projects have strengthened our organisation, such as the development of our funding strategy, which has increased our independence and the creation of the Health and Advocacy Directorate which, I am convinced, represents our future and our trademark.

There was also the highly complex relocation of the Médecins du Monde headquarters from Paris to Saint-Denis. This was symbolically significant in terms of the history and identity of the organisation. We needed to be able to start a new chapter and create future opportunities for the organisation.

I am extremely proud of who we are at Médecins du Monde. When I think back to the field visits that marked me the most, I think of Myanmar, Colombia and Palestine but also Bordeaux, Saint-Denis and Dunkirk.

What was the biggest challenge you faced as Executive Director of MdM?

I have to say that being Executive Director sometimes feels like managing a never-ending cycle of emergencies and crises! Keeping a cool, clear head, without jumping to any foregone conclusions was without a doubt one of the most important things. Slowing down when everything and everyone around you is speeding up.

In more practical terms, my challenge was to strengthen our organisation, from headquarters, so that we can better support the volunteers and employees in the field. I spoke earlier about our funding strategy. This is a perfect illustration of how we have organised ourselves to be more efficient and robust. Today, Médecins du Monde is better prepared for crises.

How would you say the humanitarian sector in France has changed since you took on the role of Executive Director?

The biggest change has been to the architecture of the humanitarian system and the role of NGOs. The past is less important than the present and we are currently witnessing a collapse of the sector. Funding is disappearing, NGOs are increasingly being considered as suppliers and every day it is becoming more difficult to reach populations in need.

The full effects of recent political decisions have not yet been seen, particularly but not exclusively, decisions made in the United States. France has not been spared the debates which affect us and the populations we work with.

Driven by its strength and history, Médecins du Monde has an even greater duty to stay the course through these uncertain times and uphold our principles and values. It is precisely during such storms that our team should stand firm and our boat should hold steady.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing MdM in the near future?

The biggest priorities are almost existential. Our challenge is not to survive but, in the current climate, we do have to fight every single day for our freedom to act.

Médecins du Monde France is and must remain a leading NGO in the defence of the common good, whether this be regarding health or the collective actions undertaken by the sector. Our role is to support initiatives and partnerships for the common good, for example by supporting more vulnerable actors and developing pooled expertise. We must not, by any means, look down on smaller actors. There are initiatives, actions and movements which have to be supported, because the more united we are, the stronger we are. Now is not the time for disconnection.

In terms of the organisation, I am convinced that our main challenge in the short term relates to the International Network, the One Médecins du Monde. This remains a work in progress, but it will be key to any major strategic and political progress we make.

If you had to sum up your time as Executive Director of MdM in three words, what would they be?

Three words to sum up our collective identity? Independence, trust and courage.

And have you any final words for the staff and volunteers at MdM?

Thank you! Thanks to everyone for all these years, months and even days we have spent together. I have learned so much from all of you. Since I announced that I’d be stepping down, I have received so many kind words and messages. This has touched me deeply, as I close this chapter in my career, which has lasted nearly fifteen years.

Don’t forget, we are free and, above all “there are no limits”.