Devanand Ramiah – When institutional promises meet their limits

As a young UN volunteer in Timor-Leste, Devanand Ramiah stood before communities preparing for a referendum and reassured them that the United Nations would remain present to protect them.

When violence erupted, international staff were evacuated.

The promise, though institutionally made and sincerely conveyed, could not be kept.

That moment stayed with him. It reshaped how he understood responsibility, trust, and the weight of representing an institution in fragile contexts.

Later in his career, another influence reinforced this shift. Working with a senior leader who modelled empathy and accountability, Devanand saw that authority is not only about mandate, but about how one carries responsibility toward others.

In this episode, he reflects on what it means to lead when institutional commitments meet uncertain realities.

When institutions cannot fully shield those they serve, credibility rests not on certainty, but on how leaders respond after trust is tested. Devanand’s moment shows how responsibility deepens when promises prove fragile.