NEW EVENT ALERT – ‘PATHWAYS’ on 31st August – Jump to the event page here
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a very challenging period for its economy – a recovery and transition that requires charting smart public policy pathways that embody inclusiveness, innovation, and sustainability. In many spheres of our economy and society today, young people are setting new agendas for change. This is the backdrop against which the ‘Young Professionals in Public Policy’ (YPPP) was formed by the Centre for a Smart Future (CSF) in mid-2023. Much of Sri Lanka’s public policy landscape has, for many years now, been dominated by narrow groups of individuals – mostly older, and mostly male. Much of the public policy debate tends to be dominated by economists. Existing associations and networks allow little room for fresh ideas and new thinking. This is simply not in sync with contemporary socioeconomic realities. It also does not reflect the many new talented young Sri Lankan public policy professionals beginning to make their mark. YPPP is a learning and network platform for young public policy professionals below the age of 45 to meet peers who have a new imagination around policy advocacy, policy making and policy implementation. A key purpose of the YPPP is also to help forge linkages between those young Sri Lankans in academic or practitioner public policy roles overseas, with their contemporaries in Sri Lanka, as well as to connect those in different types of public policy roles within Sri Lanka.
Membership in YPPP is free and is an invitee and nomination-based network. The YPPP welcomes Sri Lankan public policy professionals, from a range of roles and workplaces (think tanks, academia, private sector, International organisations, independent researchers), from Sri Lanka as well as overseas. From time to time, YPPP events are opened up to guests of members. Each meet-up, which takes place roughly once in every two months, features a guest speaker on a topic of broad interest to YPPP members, and also features presentations on the topic from YPPP members who work in that area. Previous YPPP meet-ups have offered opportunities for members to make presentations on their work in tech policy, environmental advocacy, and social science research. Meet-ups are primarily in-person, with some provision for remote participation for members based overseas. Discussions are held under ‘Chatham House’ rules, and intended to create a safe space for open and frank interaction among members.
YPPP members join the network, and participate in our meet-ups for a variety of reasons – ranging from the opportunities to network with like-minded peers, to learn new topics from expert speakers. YPPP offers:
April 2023 – ‘YPPP Launch’ – Prof. Matt Andrews, Edward S. Mason Senior Lecturer in International Development, Harvard Kennedy School.
June 2023 – ‘Soft Power as a Super Power’ – Penny Abeywardena, Former New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs; and Sharmini Coorey, Advisor to the President on Debt Restructuring and Multilateral Engagement and Former IMF Director
August 2023 – ‘Platforms and the Digital Economy’ – Mike Orgill, Senior Director, Public Policy and Government Relations, Uber.
December 2023 – ‘Towards a Nature-positive Economy’ – Ruwan Wijewardena, Senior Advisor to the President on Climate Change.
February 2024 – ‘Debt Sustainability and Economic Recovery’ – Theo Maret, Associate, Global Sovereign Advisory.
May 2024 – ‘Beyond the Blackboard: Rethinking the Future of Education in Sri Lanka’ – Dr. Tara de Mel, Former Secretary to the Ministry of Education, and Founder of the Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership and Public Policy.
July 2024 – ‘India’s Ascension: Power Politics and Policy Considerations for Sri Lanka’ – Nilanthan Niruthan, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Security Studies.
YPPP has two co-convenors – Anisha Gooneratne (Research Associate, CSF) based in Sri Lanka, and Kithmina Hewage (Senior Advisor, CAPS) based in Hong Kong. YPPP is Co-ordinated by Nimaya Dahanayake (Junior Researcher, CSF). Get in touch with them on [email protected] or [email protected].
