Columbia University Launches New Institute of Global Politics

With Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton at the helm, IGP will be based out of Columbia’s renowned School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and host a world-class cohort of Inaugural Carnegie Distinguished Fellows

NEW YORK, September 7, 2023 — Today, Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton launched the Institute of Global Politics (IGP), a new hub to connect the world’s leading policymakers, political leaders, practitioners, and scholars. Housed in Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), the Institute will combine cutting-edge research with real-world policymaking to advance innovative, evidence-based solutions to our most pressing global challenges. 

“We are so proud to launch the Institute of Global Politics, which will cement Columbia University as an epicenter of global policymaking,” said Keren Yarhi-Milo, dean of SIPA. “To have Secretary Clinton on campus — along with more than a dozen of the world’s preeminent global leaders — is a testament to the power of IGP to drive real-world impact and train the next generation.”

“Our world is facing increasingly complex and urgent challenges, from the global rise of authoritarianism to the rapidly worsening impacts of climate change,” said Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th US Secretary of State and current Chair of the IGP Faculty Advisory Board. “I am thrilled to partner with Dean Yarhi-Milo to launch the Institute of Global Politics, which will bring world leaders and practitioners together in New York City to advance evidence-based policy in pursuit of a better world. There is no better time for this Institute, and no better place for it than at Columbia University.” 

IGP will align academics and experts around five global policy challenges: geopolitical stability, democratic resilience, climate and sustainable development, inclusive prosperity and macroeconomic stability, and technology and innovation. SIPA has identified these as key areas that will demand the world’s attention and resources in the coming years.  

As part of its launch, IGP will also host a cohort of Inaugural Carnegie Distinguished Fellows — 14 global leaders who will visit Columbia over the course of the 2023–2024 academic year. These Fellows — including a former head of state, high-ranking policy officials, diplomats, activists, and other distinguished leaders from across the globe — will partner with SIPA faculty to produce policy papers on urgent and rapidly evolving global issues. The majority of the Inaugural Carnegie Distinguished Fellows hail from outside of the United States. Their expertise spans a wide range of complex global issues, including artificial intelligence, global energy policy, refugee resettlement, and international development. The inaugural class of fellows is supported by a generous grant from the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York.

“I could not be more excited about the launch of this new Institute, nor about what it will mean for our students and community,” said Columbia University President Minouche Shafik. “SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics will shape the next generation of global citizens through teaching, research, rigorous debate, and real world impact. It is exactly the kind of contribution you would want from a great university like Columbia.”

IGP is different from other institutes of politics in important ways, and is guided by three pillars of its approach: bridging academia and policy, connecting local and global policy issues, and promoting civil discourse. The Institute is intentionally women-founded and women-led and will serve to elevate diverse voices in the traditionally male-dominated fields of international relations and global politics. IGP will also leverage its home in New York City — and its ability to tap the expertise of Columbia’s other world-class research centers — to make its scholarship impactful and policy-relevant on the global stage.

This year’s IGP Inaugural Carnegie Distinguished Fellows are:

• Stacey Abrams, Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics at Howard University, Former Georgia House Minority Leader, Voting Rights Activist
• Michelle Bachelet, Former President of Chile and Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Shabana Basij-Rasikh, Cofounder and President of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA)
• Henrietta Fore, Former Executive Director of UNICEF
• Kim Ghattas, Author of Black Wave and contributing writer for The Atlantic magazine
• Michel Kazatchkine, Former Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• Sir Stephen Lovegrove, Former UK National Security Adviser; Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia SIPA
• David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee; 74th UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
• Frank Mugisha, Prominent Ugandan LGBTI Rights Advocate
• Robert O’Brien, Cofounder and Chairman of American Global Strategies LLC; 27th US National Security Advisor
• Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Journalist; Cofounder, CEO, and President of Rappler
• Eric Schmidt, Cofounder, Schmidt Futures; Former CEO and Chairman, Google
• John Sullivan, Former Deputy Secretary of State and US Ambassador to the Russian Federation
• Marie Yovanovitch, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine

To celebrate the launch of IGP, Secretary Clinton and Dean Yarhi-Milo will bring the IGP Inaugural Carnegie Distinguished Fellows and other global leaders to SIPA’s campus for its Inaugural Summit, consisting of a series of topical programs, on October 3, 2023. 

To learn more about IGP, please see here. To RSVP for the livestream of IGP’s official launch on October 3, please see here.

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For Media Inquiries, please contact: Rachel Szala, Associate Dean of Communications and External Relations: [email protected], 212-854-0552

About the School of International and Public Affairs: For more than 75 years, SIPA has been educating professionals who work in public, private, and nonprofit organizations to make a difference in the world. Through rigorous social science research and hands-on practice, SIPA’s graduates and faculty strive to improve social services, advocate for human rights, strengthen markets, protect the environment, and secure peace, in their home communities and around the world. For more information, please visit sipa.columbia.edu. 

About Columbia University: A leading academic and research university, Columbia continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia’s extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations, and community partnerships help define the University’s underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.