Leaders Programme: Using the MPI as a policy tool, 2021

“To turn a corner on poverty, commitments at the highest levels are essential.”
Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI & Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Former President of Colombia – Project Syndicate, July 29, 2020

This inaugural OPHI Executive Education Programme focuses on providing senior government officials and high-level policymakers with practical knowledge and direct access to the world’s leading experts on multidimensional poverty reduction, to deepen their understanding of the MPI as a policy tool and many of its potential uses, as well as their driving strategies. 

Through 15 hours of interactive lectures, workshops, conversations with global leaders, and practitioners’ panels, the 5-day programme will leverage open discussions and high-level networking with fellow policy makers from around the world. Discussions will be guided by practical cases that require analysis and presenting solutions to real-world problems. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet with leading experts during office hours outside the programme schedule to discuss topics of mutual interest. 

Learning objectives

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Confidently interpret and communicate MPI results
• Set policy goals and lead strategies for poverty reduction
• Coordinate multisectoral teams using the MPI as a tool for:
  – Planning, targeting, and budgeting
  – Strengthening governance
  – Reporting on SDG target 1.2 and other international/national goals
  – Responding to and recovering from the pandemic and other crises
• Use the MPI as a tool to bridge technical and political efforts to accelerate poverty reduction
• Share experiences from and with high level peers across the world  

Special guests, lecturers and facilitators

We are delighted to be joined by:

• Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia 2010–2018; Nobel Peace Laureate; OPHI Visiting Professor
• Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan 2013–2018; Politician, environmentalist and cultural advocate
• Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI; Co-author of the Alkire-Foster method
• James Foster, Co-director of the Institute for International Economic Policy, George Washington University; Co-author of the Alkire-Foster method
• Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator 
• Gabriel Ferrero, Ambassador at Large for Global Food Security; Former Director General Sustainable Development Policies
• Ana Helena Chacón, Ambassador of Costa Rica in Spain; Vice President of Costa Rica 2014–2018
• Margarita Cedeño, Vice-President of the Dominican Republic 2012–2020, FAO Goodwill Ambassador
• Diego Sánchez-Ancochea, Head of the Oxford Department of International Development; Specialist on political economy in Latin America
• Luis Felipe López-Calva, UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean; UN Assistant Secretary General
• Pali Lehohla, Statistician General of South Africa, 2000–2017; OPHI ExEd Advisor
• Michelle Muschett, OPHI Senior Policy Lead and ExEd Director; Former Minister of Social Development of Panama
• John Hammock, OPHI Co-founder
• Gonzalo Hernández Licona, Director of the MPPN; Executive Secretary of CONEVAL Mexico 2005–2018
• Abdul Alim, Former Regional Advisor for Social Policy, UNICEF South Asia; Deputy Representative UNICEF Turkmenistan and Philippines 2006–2015
• Xiaolin Wang, Member of the Expert Advisory Committee of the Leading Group on Poverty Alleviation and Development of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China
• Roberto Angulo, Co-author of Colombia’s MPI; OPHI ExEd Advisor and Special Contributor to Content Development

Eligibility 

The Leaders Programme is aimed at senior professionals with a strong interest in multidimensional poverty and a capacity for influencing public policy priorities at an international, national, subnational, and institutional levels. This includes decision makers in the highest levels of a ministry, secretariat, agency, commission, or multilateral organization, in roles such as minister, deputy minister, permanent secretary, director general, secretary general, executive director, department head, or equivalent.

The programme will be delivered in English, via Canvas and Zoom. Please see below the system requirements to run these platforms:

Canvas system requirements
Zoom system requirements

Programme fee

 £1,500

The first cohort of the programme will receive a special rate of 1,500 GBP per person that considers the context of COVID-19 and financial constraints for countries and institutions.

The programme fee covers registration and programme tuition, all academic materials, continuous support throughout the programme, and upon successful completion, a digital Certificate of Completion from OPHI and Oxford’s Department of International Development.

Limited financial support will be available.

Application details

The application deadline for the Leaders Programme 2021 is 30 July 2021. Slots are limited and applicants will be evaluated on the basis of the information provided in their application.

OPHI Executive Education focuses on the policy uses of the MPI and implementation of the measure. Those wishing to delve deeper into the technical side of measurement and learn how to construct and analyse the MPI are invited to apply for the OPHI Summer School.

For questions or further information, please contact us: ophi-exed@qeh.ox.ac.uk