International Democracy Fellowship
Elected Leaders on the Frontlines of Effective and Innovative Democratic Practice
Democracy evolves through practice, not prescription.The International Democracy Fellowship brings together emerging elected officials from around the world who are developing real, practical solutions to today’s most pressing challenges in their own countries.
This isn’t a democracy-promotion program in the traditional sense. The fellowship exists to understand how democracy actually takes shape on the ground for elected leaders working within their own political environments—how they negotiate, build coalitions, respond to new issues, navigate institutional constraints, and strengthen resilience under widely varying political conditions.
We welcome applications from elected leaders (with fewer than 10 years in office) from any political party affiliation, level of government, and country. Fellows bring forward the realities of their work: managing entrenched local power networks, rebuilding public trust, confronting voter disengagement, navigating corruption pressures, working across polarized communities, and adapting institutions to fragile or fast-changing conditions worldwide. By sharing what works — and what doesn’t — in these settings, they generate practical insights and mutual support.
Deadline to apply: January 12, 2025
Why IGA?
The Institute for Global Affairs believes that the future of democracy lies in understanding what makes it work in different environments. What’s needed are political leaders who can navigate complexity with curiosity, courage, and a readiness to act. Around the world, democracy is being tested not in theory, but in the day-to-day work of governing—inside city councils, parliaments, local assemblies, and regional offices where elected officials confront real problems under real pressure.
What sets us apart: We start with ground truth — the local knowledge and political realities that elected leaders navigate every day. Our fellows understand that strengthening democratic governance requires more than defending universal principles—it requires confronting particular challenges. By openly sharing their political experiences, fellows help one another refine tactics, pressure-test ideas, and adapt what works to their own environments.
Why does this matter?
Democracy strengthens when elected officials learn from one another across borders. The most effective innovations in governance often move peer-to-peer, shaped by practical experience.
Our 2026 pilot program will be conducted entirely virtually, creating accessible yet structured opportunities for this exchange. The call for applications opened in November 2025, and selected candidates will be notified in late January 2026. The first cohort will commence in February. Once established, we plan to expand future cohorts to include in-person convenings, building deeper networks among fellows and alumni.
The fellowship runs six months, from February through July. Throughout the program, fellows participate in monthly virtual sessions designed to spotlight each participant’s work and explore tailored solutions to real governing challenges through shared expertise. This peer-to-peer exchange emphasizes practical strategies, lessons learned, and what is—or isn’t—working in different political contexts. Fellows leave with actionable insights and a network of colleagues navigating similar pressures worldwide.
Beyond Solidarity to Strategy
Traditional democracy programs focus on building movements or promoting abstract ideals. Our fellowship focuses on sharing actual, locally informed strategies.
Through structured, ongoing engagement, participants exchange practical solutions, compare approaches to common challenges, and explore how democratic practices can be applied—and adapted—across different political environments. These peer-to-peer connections continue well beyond the six-month program, creating a durable network of elected leaders who serve as positive models for democratic practice—not only in their own communities but also for peers and leaders across other contexts.
Democracy as Problem-Solving
We don’t treat democracy as a blueprint to copy. It’s an ongoing experiment that gets better through constant tinkering and adaptation — local innovation. Our alumni network keeps fellows connected long after the program ends, tracking how solutions developed in one place get adapted and improved elsewhere.
The fellowship fills a gap left by traditional democracy promotion, which often pushes generic solutions that don’t match reality on the ground. We flip that approach, starting with what elected officials are dealing with and building from there.
Measuring What Matters
In the short term, we track what actually changes in practice: the strategies fellows adopt from their peers and the tactical solutions they test and implement in their own political contexts.
Long-term impact looks beyond individual practices. We support alumni as they advance in their careers and elevate their influence, helping effective practices spread across different communities and political environments. In this way, lessons from one leader’s experience can improve governance elsewhere.
We measure both outcomes and insights: not just the number of policies or initiatives implemented, but the qualitative ways in which local political innovations influence broader democratic practice. This dual approach captures both immediate practical wins and the deeper shifts in how democracy strengthens through shared, real-world experience.
Meet the Jurors
The program’s selection committee reviews and evaluates fellowship applications and selects the final cohort. It comprises experts from across the world, bringing extensive experience and deep knowledge of political, social, and country-specific contexts to inform the program and enhance the impact of the cohort. The committee is supported by program director Rudina Hajdari and includes:
Ilker Barburoglu
Ilker Barburoglu
Founder & CEO, MedTrade Energy & Commodities, Middle East & Africa
Ilker Baburoglu is a global business leader and investor focused on energy security, responsible resource development, and infrastructure in emerging markets. Based in Geneva, Dubai, and Istanbul, he manages multinational energy and commodity companies and serves on the Board of the Atlantic Council. As a faculty member at the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership at Chatham House, Baburoğlu has advised on sustainable investment strategies worldwide. An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Koç University, and Boğaziçi University, he promotes ethical leadership and cross-regional cooperation to foster stability and growth.
Obiageli Ezekweili
Obiageli Ezekweili
President, Human Capital Africa
Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili is a Nigerian expert in economic policy, a reformer, and an advocate for good governance. She has served as Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa Region and as Nigeria’s Minister of Education and Minister of Solid Minerals. She co-founded Transparency International and the #BringBackOurGirls movement. As founder of the #FixPolitics Initiative and the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance, she has promoted citizen-centered leadership across Africa. A graduate of Harvard Kennedy School and a 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Ezekwesili continues to inspire through her dedication to accountability, education, and democratic renewal.
Jonah Fisher
Jonah Fisher
Senior Director, Atlantic Council
Jonah Fisher is the Senior Director of the Millennium Leadership Program at the Atlantic Council, where he oversees global fellowship and leadership projects. An educator at Columbia University, Fisher previously founded GATHER, the social innovation branch of Seeds of Peace, and the coworking initiative FLO for social entrepreneurs in Tel Aviv. His work covers entrepreneurship, conflict transformation, and civic innovation, mentoring changemakers in emerging democracies. Fisher has vast experience in creating networks that support innovative, cross-sector solutions to global issues.
Beatriz Merino
Beatriz Merino
Former Prime Minister of Peru and Executive President of César Vallejo University
Beatriz Merino is the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Peru and a Harvard-trained lawyer with a distinguished career in public service and international development. She previously served as Public Ombudsman of Peru, Senator, and Congresswoman, leading key committees on environment and women’s rights. Internationally, she directed the Women’s Leadership Program at the Inter-American Development Bank and represents the Boston Global Forum in Peru. She is a recipient of the 2019 Women Political Leaders Trailblazer Award.
Jonathan Moore
Jonathan Moore
Former US Ambassador and Head of Mission at the OSCE in Europe
Ambassador Jonathan Moore is a seasoned U.S. diplomat with over 30 years of experience, including roles as Ambassador and Head of Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina at the OSCE, as well as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for international organizations, health, and space diplomacy. Recognized by multiple foreign governments and awarded the U.S. Presidential Meritorious Rank, he has deep expertise in building democratic institutions, peace processes, and governance. He holds degrees from American University and George Washington University and continues to mentor future public service leaders.
Christopher Schroeder
Christopher Schroeder
Chairperson of the German Marshall Fund
Christopher Schroeder is a global venture investor and strategist working at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and policy. As co-founder of Next Billion Ventures and Chair of the German Marshall Fund’s Board, he aims to connect innovative entrepreneurs from emerging markets with international partners. A former CEO of WashingtonPost.com and co-founder of HealthCentral.com, Schroeder advises governments and international organizations on innovation and economic development. A Harvard alumnus and a thought leader in global entrepreneurship, he specializes in building networks that support open, democratic innovation ecosystems.
Akira Tsuchiya
Akira Tsuchiya
President and CEO of The Global Institute (TGI)
Akira Tsuchiya is President & CEO of The Global Institute (TGI), a leading
international institute fostering the global leadership community and advancing
global governance and cooperation through thought leadership. He previously spent
over a decade with the World Economic Forum (WEF), where he established its
Japan office as its founding chief executive in Tokyo and served on the Executive
Committee at its headquarters in Geneva. His work spans public service roles at
Japan’s National Parliament, the OECD, and the World Bank, as well as academic
and research roles at several major universities—including the IUJ Center for Global
Communication (GLOCOM), Harvard, Georgetown, Keio, and Waseda. He studied at
Keio University (BA); the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (MPP, Fulbright scholar);
Trinity College, University of Oxford (dean’s scholar); and the Harvard Kennedy
School in conjunction with a WEF fellowship, obtaining the executive master in
global leadership. He advises senior leaders across government, business, and civil
society, and frequently writes and speaks on global leadership, governance, and
technology.
Who should apply?
Are you an elected official actively solving problems for your constituents? We’re looking for emerging leaders experimenting with new approaches to engage citizens, improve government transparency, or get things done in challenging political environments.
Applications open November 2025, with selected fellows notified in late January 2026. The first cohort begins in February 2026 and runs through July 2026. We particularly welcome leaders confronting corruption, inequality, democratic backsliding, and authoritarian pressures—challenges that demand creative, context-specific solutions.
Our program provides access to cutting-edge research on what is working in governments worldwide, alongside opportunities to learn from peers and understand strategies that are effective in different democratic systems.
Most importantly, you recognize that democracy must be practiced, adapted, and continuously reimagined. Your innovations contain lessons others need to hear, just as their experiments can inform your work.
If you know elected leaders who would be excellent candidates for this fellowship, please email intldemfel@instituteforglobalaffairs.org with your name, affiliation, and the names, countries, and contact information of up to seven nominees.
For questions about the program, please email intldemfel@instituteforglobalaffairs.org.
Deadline to apply: January 12, 2025
Partner With Us
Democratic resilience requires backing leaders who translate universal principles into effective local practice. Traditional democracy assistance fails by overlooking how different political environments shape what works. Our fellowship directly addresses this gap by supporting elected officials developing homegrown strategies for better governance.
Our partnership approach differs from conventional programming. Instead of lecturing political leaders, we facilitate exchange among public servants who keenly understand their own political environments as they advance democratic principles.
This investment builds a global network of innovators who recognize that effective democracy requires continuous adaptation and cross-border learning. Fellows become sources of democratic innovation at home while expanding our collective understanding of democratic practice across different political systems.
The program sparks lasting impact through peer learning grounded in real experience rather than imported expertise. These relationships generate democratic innovations long after the formal fellowship concludes.
Partner with us to support leaders who are fixing democracy. Your investment directly supports practitioners whose local innovations deserve to spread beyond their borders. These are the people making democracy deliver results for citizens, sharing and refining their best ideas.
For partnership inquiries or philanthropic support related to this program, please contact development@instituteforglobalaffairs.org.
About Our Program Leadership
Rudina Hajdari leads the International Democracy Fellowship, bringing rare insight bridging American and European democratic systems. As a former Albanian MP who chaired the European Integration Committee and played a key role in Albania’s EU accession efforts, she knows democratic transition from the inside. Her work at the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee gave her the view from the other side, revealing both the promise and limitations of traditional democracy promotion. Her background as the daughter of a pro-democracy advocate exemplifies the cross-cultural perspective the fellowship seeks to foster, making her perfectly positioned to lead a program that prioritizes learning from local democratic innovations.
For senior elected officials interested in collaboration, please email hajdari@instituteforglobalaffairs.org.
