Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program

The Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program is a high-level, invitation only initiative selecting 10-12 education, health and finance ministers annually. Jointly organized by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Graduate School of Education in collaboration with Big Win Philanthropy, and with the support of the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation, the GE Foundation, and Merck KGaA, the Program takes place partly at Harvard and partly in the home countries of participating ministers. The primary goal of the Program is enhancing political leadership in three core government ministries to promote a coordinated strategy and increased investment in key education and health priorities that are the foundation for sustainable economic development. The Ministerial Program is not an academic exercise. It focuses on practical, implementable approaches to increasing budget effectiveness, efficiency in resource utilization and deliberate strategies for strengthening health and education delivery systems, as well as the quality of health services and education programs. Better value from available budget resources together with stronger functionality and greater efficiency in health and education delivery systems is fundamental to achieving better outcomes in health and education, and advancing human development goals.