Category: South Asia & Pacific

Reducing Youth Unemployment in Papua New Guinea

Kids in Papua New Guinea sitting on the steps of a hut

Guest Blog by Frederick Joseph, Keren Mahabi, Joshua Sialis, Karo Tuva We are the Youth Economic Empowerment Team! We are from the finance industry; banking & superannuation. The challenge that we are tackling is youth unemployment struggles in Koki, Moresby South, and Port Moresby, PNG. We believe that youth are the cornerstone of development and…Continue Reading Reducing Youth Unemployment in Papua New Guinea

Strengthening Early Childhood Education Implementation in Papua New Guinea

Children in Papua New Guinea looking at a phone

Guest blog by Joyce Kafuo, Hilton Kapial, Elisheba Musia, Priscilla Vuvu, Regil Wanwanji Why is Early Childhood Education (ECE) still struggling in Papua New Guinea despite policy reforms? Over 12 weeks, our team applied the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach to understand why Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Papua New Guinea continues to struggle despite…Continue Reading Strengthening Early Childhood Education Implementation in Papua New Guinea

Digital Financial Inclusion in India: The Gender Gap Challenge 

Hands holding rupees

Guest blog by Richa Mukherjee, IPP ’25 After practicing public policy as a professional for 15 years, I decided to pursue it more formally as a subject from the Harvard Kennedy School’s IPP Class of 2025. This turned out to be a very insightful and an experience full of learning. The learning journey at HKS gave me comprehensive insights into addressing…Continue Reading Digital Financial Inclusion in India: The Gender Gap Challenge 

Addressing Gender‑Based Violence in Baiyer District, Papua New Guinea

Team photo

Guest blog by Kevin Gou, Dorothy Jack, Carolyn Kuk Kop, Shadrick Paraka, Mark Paroa, Johnson Trepi, and Yangga Treppe, Over the last 12 weeks, Team Baiyer Range has been working on the problem of gender-based violence (GBV) in our district. After we identified this problem, we used PDIA to identify ideas we can use to…Continue Reading Addressing Gender‑Based Violence in Baiyer District, Papua New Guinea

Using PDIA to Address Confidentiality Risks in Papua New Guinea

Group photo of team North Star

Guest blog by Elly Toimbo, Joyce Maru, Rose Walen, Renat Muruket, Delwyn Dau and Dellah Maiak We addressed the issue of confidential information being disclosed to perpetrators, which created serious risks. This breach compromised client trust, organizational integrity, and compliance with policy, while also endangering the safety and security of clients, staff, and the organization….Continue Reading Using PDIA to Address Confidentiality Risks in Papua New Guinea

Strengthening Employment Pathways for Elite Athletes in Papua New Guinea

Guest blog by Lydia Dimokari, Milton Kisapai, Lua Rikis, Basil Jofari and Kollin Killa Taugamu Over the past 12 weeks, our team—Opportunity League—embarked on an incredible learning experience through the PDIA (Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation) approach. Here’s what we discovered, the challenges we tackled, and how this journey is shaping the way we solve problems….Continue Reading Strengthening Employment Pathways for Elite Athletes in Papua New Guinea

The Leadership Program Reshaping Cambodia

Aerial view of streets and roundabout in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Leadership and Innovation Program (LIP), launched in 2020 by the Royal School of Administration and supported by the World Bank’s Coalitions for Reforms (C4R) Global Program, including Michael Woolcock, has trained over 1,000 senior officials across ministries and provinces in Cambodia. The program was designed to address persistent challenges in Cambodia’s public sector, such…Continue Reading The Leadership Program Reshaping Cambodia

Addressing Imbalanced Sectoral Credit Growth and High Inflation in the Lao PDR

A temple in Laos

Guest blog by Phengphaivanh (Susan) Sitpraxay, IPP ’24  I attended the IPP course during one of the toughest periods over 14 years of my work life as a policy maker in the central bank of Laos-the Bank of the Lao PDR. This is my first course at Harvard University, a place I have long aspired…Continue Reading Addressing Imbalanced Sectoral Credit Growth and High Inflation in the Lao PDR