W E I D E N F E L D

S C H O L A R S H I P S

& L E A D E R S H I P

P R O G R A M M E

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue

founded the Weidenfeld Scholarships

and Leadership Programme in 2007 and

continues to run the Programme as an

integral part of its work.

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)

is an independent think tank working with

leaders in government, business, media and

academia to develop multi-country responses

to the major security and socio-economic

challenges of our time and to enhance Europe’s

capacity to act effectively in the global arena.

Activities include research, specialised

task forces, high level policy briefings,

scholarships and cross border networks that

foster leadership and stability across

Europe and its wider neighbourhood,

actively bridging inter-communal, religious,

socio-economic and political divides.

‘The Weidenfeld Scholarships

attract remarkable individuals

of great leadership potential,

ready to put their talents to

good use in tackling the challenges

that face our world today.

The University of Oxford has

a proud record of educating

and cultivating future leaders.

It is delighted to be associated

with this outstanding programme.’

PROFESSOR ANDREW HAMILTON

VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY

OF OXFORD

‘My vision was really to have a

facility at one of the great universities

of the world to train people for

whom not enough has been done in

preparing them for positions of

leadership.The great joy of these

Scholarships is the aspiration among

the Scholars to return to their home

countries to play an important role’.

LORD WEIDENFELD, PRESIDENT,

INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC DIALOGUE

W E I D E N F E L D

S C H O L A R S H I P S

& L E A D E R S H I P

P R O G R A M M E

‘Being a part of the Programme

and studying at Oxford allows you

to meet the most interesting and

memorable of people, interaction

with whom broadens your horizons

and expands your world view.

As a result, the ideas and the

dreams that at one point had

seemed unattainable, do not seem

so impossible anymore.’

DILORO KADIROVA

WEIDENFELD SCHOLAR,TAJIKISTAN

The Weidenfeld Scholarships and Leadership Programme cultivates

the leaders of tomorrow, mostly from transition and emerging

economies, by providing outstanding university graduates and

young professionals with the opportunity to pursue fully-funded

graduate studies at the University of Oxford, in combination with

a comprehensive programme of leadership development and

long-term mentoring and networking.

Overall, the programme provides Scholars with the knowledge,

skills and international networks necessary to contribute effectively

to public life in their countries and regions of origin, and to build

lasting professional linkages across cultures and continents.

In its first phase the Programme has mainly focused on Europe’s

wider neighbourhood, including Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Russia,

the Middle East and North Africa. Now entering its second phase,

the Programme is expanding to include new target areas such as

South Asia.

W E I D E N F E L D

S C H O L A R S H I P S

& L E A D E R S H I P

P R O G R A M M E

F O S T E R I N G

L E A D E R S H I P

The Leadership Programme is a unique feature of the

Weidenfeld Scholarships. In parallel with their academic

studies, the Scholars take part in a comprehensive

extra-curricular programme of Leadership Development,

which is designed to provide them with relevant

intellectual and practical skills.

The week-long residentialLeadership and Public PolicySeminar provides the Scholars with the opportunity to read anddebate some of the greatest works of political philosophy from Platoand Confucius to the present day.These debates encourage the Scholars to examine criticallytheir own and others’ assumptionsand to look afresh at the political,economic, social and moral challengesposed by the contemporary world.The discussions arecomplemented by presentations and exchanges with senior public figures – ranging frominternational political and businessleaders to leading journalists and civil society advocates.

The Annual Weidenfeld Debatesgive Scholars the opportunity toorganise, frame and present publicdebates at Oxford on major questionsof contemporary international publicpolicy as well as extending theirprofessional networks.

The annual Study Tour providesScholars with first hand experience of national and internationalinstitutions, offering an introductionto their workings and allowing theScholars an opportunity to meetindividuals involved in policy-makingand administration at the highestlevels. Previous Study Tours havetaken Scholars to Belfast, Brussels,Berlin and Geneva, to explore topics ranging from peace-buildingand the European Union, to thefuture of the environment.

The Leadership Programmeadditionally offers Scholars a series ofshort courses designed to improvespecific skills. Practical skills trainingcourses include communication,negotiation, debating, policy analysisand presentations.The Programme alsooffers Scholars academic and pastoralcare, as well as guidance with theirprofessional development, through itsprovision of mentoring, career adviceand involvement in the other activitiesof the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

Participants in Leadership Programme activities have included:Baroness Onora O’Neill (philosopher and former President of the BritishAcademy), Jonathan Powell (former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister TonyBlair), General Sir Mike Jackson (former Chief of the General Staff, UK),Shaun Woodward (former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland),Baroness Kennedy QC (barrister and leading Human Rights advocate),Stephen Denning (expert on organisational storytelling), Farah Pandith(US Special Representative to Muslim Communities), Jamie Shea (Head of Policy Planning, NATO), Sun Shuyun (documentary film-maker andexpert on contemporary China), Filip Dimitrov (former Bulgarian PrimeMinister), Irakli Kakabadze (Georgian activist and poet), Kathleen KennedyTownsend (former Lieutenant-Governor of Maryland), Larry Sanger(founder of Wikipedia), Sir Nigel Rodley (international lawyer) and Tariq Ramadan (Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford).

Organisations visited in the course of Study Tours have included:NATO, the European Commission and European Parliament, the German Bundestag, INCORE-International Conflict Research, the World TradeOrganization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR, the World Business Council for SustainableDevelopment and WWF.

F O S T E R I N G

L E A D E R S H I P

Weidenfeld Scholars are selected for their intellectual

distinction, academic excellence, leadership potential and

commitment to contribute to public service in their home

countries and regions. Candidates applying for the Scholarship

undergo a rigorous selection process.All short-listed candidates

are brought to Oxford for a final round of interviews

before a Selection Committee drawn from the Weidenfeld

Scholarships’ International Advisory Board and academic experts

from Oxford, Cambridge and other major universities.

A comprehensive Scholarships Alumni Network is currently

being developed to ensure that the links between the Scholars

forged at Oxford endure and develop beyond graduation,

through an annual reunion, online forums, publications,

and other social and professional events.The Alumni Network

will become an increasingly important resource for future

generations of Weidenfeld Scholars, fostering collaboration across

sectors and national boundaries.

From left to right:

Daniel Zoughbie; Saltanat

Rasulova; Mohamed Shelbaya;

Veronika Talviste; Hanoch Ilsar;

Shaharzad Akbar

F O C U S O N

S C H O L A R S

Daniel ZoughbieUSA

DPhil in International Relations

Daniel is the Founder, CEO, and

President of the Global Micro-Clinic

Project (GMCP), an organization which

seeks to empower people to prevent

and manage diseases in economically

depressed and conflict-ridden areas of

our world.Their highly innovative

approach has attracted 1.2 million dollars

worth of funding, enabling their work

to continue expanding.

Veronika TalvisteESTONIA

MSc in Forced Migration

Before becoming a Weidenfeld Scholar,

Veronika conducted missions with a

number of organisations including

‘Balkan Sunflowers’, an international

organisation, founded in 1999 to aid

the Kosovar refugees in Macedonia; the

Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees in

Turkmenistan; and the International

Committee of the Red Cross (CRC)

in Pakistan, Chechnya, Senegal and

Guinea-Bissau. Since graduating,Veronika

has worked in the Democratic Republic

of Congo for the ICRC, overseeing the

Economic Security Department.

Mohamed ShelbayaEGYPT

MJur (Master of Law)

Mohamed is one of the inaugural

Weidenfeld Scholars, having graduated in

2008. Before coming to Oxford, he had

founded Al Waye, an association which

aims to promote awareness of the benefits

of democratic governance and of the

rights and duties of citizens within Egypt.

He continues to work with Al Waye

while undertaking a PhD in Law at the

University of Paris (Sorbonne) and is

intending to return to Egypt to practise law,

and ultimately, to work in public service.

Shaharzad AkbarAFGHANISTAN

MPhil Development Studies

After a childhood in which she

experienced the conflict and post-conflict

development of Afghanistan at first hand,

Shaharzad aims to use her studies to

make an enduring impact on education

and economic empowerment in Afghan

society. She wants to complement her

practical experience with the necessary

analytical framework to assess the areas

of Afghanistan where NGO work is

less effective or lacking altogether.

By becoming the first Afghan women

to study as a postgraduate at Oxford,

Shaharzad has done what seemed

impossible but a decade ago and hopes

to inspire others to follow her path.

Saltanat RasulovaKYRGYZSTAN

DPhil in Comparative Social Policy

Before taking up her place at Oxford,

Saltanat worked for UNICEF in

Kyrgyzstan. She intends to return to

her home country to continue working

on issues of child poverty in Central

Asia. Her commitment to poverty

alleviation extends to her pro-bono

work in Oxford, where she volunteers at

the Gatehouse, a local Oxford charity

providing food, shelter and company to

the city’s homeless.

Hanoch IlsarISRAEL

MSc in Environmental Change

and Management

After graduating, Hanoch worked as

a researcher specializing in carbon

markets at the Environmental Change

Institute in Oxford. His home country,

Israel, currently faces tremendous

environmental challenges: water crises,

expanding desertification and biodiversity

loss. Since February 2009, he has been

the Executive Director at the Israel

Society of Ecology and Environmental

Sciences (ISEES), which has allowed him

to use the knowledge and skills he

gained at Oxford to help to address these

pressing environmental problems.

F O C U S O N

S C H O L A R S

SIR RONALD GRIERSONCo-Chairman

MICHAEL LEWISCo-Chairman

DR JOHN ADAMSONAcademic Director to the WeidenfeldScholarships and Leadership Programme,and Fellow of Peterhouse, University of Cambridge

PROFESSOR PETER BALDWINProfessor of History, University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, USA

DR SHLOMO BEN-AMIVice-President of Toledo Centre for Peace,Spain and former Foreign Minister, Israel

ANTHEA CASEPrincipal Advisor,Arcadia Fund

PATRICK CHILDDirector of the EU External Service at the Directorate-General for ExternalRelations, Belgium

SIR RONALD COHENChairman of Portland Capital LLP,The Portland Trust and Bridges Community Ventures

ROXANNE DECYKVice-President of Global GovernmentRelations at Royal Dutch Shell

PROFESSOR NIALL FERGUSONLaurence A.Tisch Professor of History,Harvard University, USA

TIM GARDAMPrincipal, St.Anne’s College,University of Oxford

OMAR GHOBASHUnited Arab Emirates Ambassador to the Russian Federation

PROFESSOR ROGER GOODMANHead of Social Sciences Division, and Nissan Professor of Japanese Studies,University of Oxford

DR ANDREW GRAHAMMaster, Balliol College,University of Oxford

PROFESSOR ANDREW HAMILTONVice-Chancellor, University of Oxford

SASHA HAVLICEKCEO, Institute for Strategic Dialogue

SUSAN HITCHManager of Lord Sainsbury of Turville’s Pro-Bono Projects

ANDRÉ HOFFMANNVice-Chairman of the Board,Roche Holdings Ltd

KATHLEEN KENNEDY TOWNSENDFormer Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, USA

ZELMIRA KOCH-POLKHead of Global Division,Chartwell Education Group

DR MARITTA KOCH-WESERCEO, Global Exchange for Social Investment (GEXSI), Germany

PROFESSOR WOLF LEPENIESProfessor Emeritus,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Germany

PROFESSOR EWAN MCKENDRICKPro-Vice-Chancellor for Education,University of Oxford

LORD MOSER OF REGENT’S PARKformer director of N. M. Rothschild & Sonsand of The Economist; former Warden ofWadham College, University of Oxford

NADA AL-NASHIFRegional Director for Arab States,International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lebanon

LORD WEIDENFELD OF CHELSEAChairman,Weidenfeld and NicolsonPublishing and President, Institute forStrategic Dialogue

Management team:

DR. JOHN ADAMSONAcademic Director to the WeidenfeldScholarships and Leadership Programme

LADY ROBERTSDean of Studies to the Weidenfeld Scholars

VICTORIA FRASERWeidenfeld Scholarships LeadershipProgramme Manager

SASHA HAVLICEKCEO, Institute of Strategic Dialogue

The Weidenfeld Scholarships and

Leadership Programme is deeply

grateful to all the donors who have

so generously provided support.

Crucial initial and on-going

core funding has been provided

by an anonymous donor, making

this Programme possible.This

support has been supplemented by

individual donors as well as specific

sub-schemes targeting students

from particular regions and/or in

specific thematic areas.

The Arcadia Fund supports five

US Scholars per annum who bring

a trans-Atlantic dynamic to the

programme and network.

The Fondation Hoffmann,

a Swiss-based grant-making

institution, supports five Scholars

per annum working in the field

of international development and

environmental management.

Roland Berger Strategy

Consultants support five scholars

per annum on courses connected

with the promotion of human

dignity and human rights.

S C H O L A R S H I P S

A D V I S O R Y B O A R D & D O N O R S

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bahrain

Belarus

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Czech Republic

Egypt

Estonia

FYR Macedonia

Georgia

Hungary

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Latvia

Lebanon

Libya

Lithuania

Mongolia

Moldova

Montenegro

Morocco

Oman

Palestinian Authority

Poland

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Syria

Tajikistan

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United States

Uzbekistan

Western Sahara

Yemen

To date, countries eligible for the Weidenfeld Scholarships

and Leadership Programme have included:

During the initial four years of the Programme, Scholars

have come from the countries in bold type.

In the future, the Programme is looking to expand the

regional coverage into new regions in need of academic

and leadership opportunities.

‘We not only get to build very

strong friendships and connections

with other Scholars from all over

the world, and who are themselves

very talented and able people. But

we are also able to create close links

with many other people – with

politicians, journalists, academics,

with activists in any number of

fields – and these friendships and

connections will stay for life.’

SHAHARZAD AKBAR,WEIDENFELD SCHOLAR

Institute for Strategic Dialogue

48 Charles Street

London W1J 5EN

+44 (0)20 7493 9333

www.strategicdialogue.org

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