International development is at a defining moment. As traditional aid models are tested by shrinking budgets, geopolitical fragmentation, and rapid technological change, the world is asking new questions about how to create shared prosperity. While the challenges are significant, they also present an opportunity to reimagine development.
This year, the Harvard Center for International Development (CID) embraced this moment. Rather than retreat from uncertainty, we doubled down on our mission to invest in people, places, and ideas that expand human potential.
Through From Poverty to Potential, a new vision for global development launched at our Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM) and shared with audiences around the world, we challenged each other to move toward creating the conditions for people to thrive. We welcomed over 400 leaders from more than 50 countries to GEM26: Reimagining International Development, debating pathways for the future of development. And we proudly launched both Development, Reimagined: Pathways to a Thriving World , a collection of essays that brings Harvard faculty perspectives to the critical questions shaping the field’s next era, and the Global Economic Transformation Initiative, led by the Reimagining the Economy Project, extending this conversation to the policies and institutions needed to generate inclusive and sustained economic transformation.
The discussions sparked through CID are evolving into new research collaborations, institutional partnerships, and real-world implementation from AI-enabled health innovations to new initiatives globally. Our Urban Mobility and Climate Change Conference in March brought together researchers and policymakers to advance solutions for lower-emission, healthier, and more resilient cities, and led to the creation of a Research Fund supporting interdisciplinary research with the potential to inform policy and practice.
And in recognition of a historically challenging job market, we expanded career opportunities for students and continued to strengthen Harvard's development community by supporting faculty research and practitioner engagement. This Spring, we also launched the Thrive Network, bringing together alumni committed to advancing human potential and creating new opportunities for collaboration across generations of development leaders.
Throughout this year, we found inspiration in the students, fellows, faculty, alumni, and partners who continue to believe in the promise of development, even during uncertain times. As graduating CID Student Ambassador Hanul Park reflected, "The language of development may be shifting, but what brought us here has not. Every person deserves a dignified life, and no budget cut or political headwind will change that." We couldn't agree more.
Looking ahead, CID will continue advancing bold ideas that help shape the next chapter of international development. We are grateful to our faculty, students, alumni, Global Development Council members, partners, and supporters for making this work possible. Together, we are helping build a thriving world for all.
With gratitude,
Asim I. Khwaja, CID Faculty Director
Fatema Z. Sumar, CID Executive Director
Through immersive learning, mentorship, research, and a vibrant cross-Harvard and global community, CID creates an ecosystem where ideas are challenged, partnerships are forged, and evidence is translated into action.
By investing in people, CID is building the talent, leadership, and networks needed to expand human potential and create lasting impact around the world.
Preparing Future Leaders
During the 2025-2026 academic year, CID's Student Seminars reached 275 students from across Harvard, connecting them with distinguished leaders including H.E. Bineta Diop, African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security; Dr. Muhamad Chatib Basri, former Minister of Finance of Indonesia; and Dr. Gomez Agou, former International Monetary Fund Resident Representative in Gabon. Seminars covered a range of critical topics, including impact investing and development finance, electoral violence, development communications, and Africa’s jobless generation.
Through CID seminars, career chats, and mentorship, students expanded their networks and prepared for careers in development.
Faculty Driving Change
Across Harvard, CID's community of over 150 faculty affiliates published more than 300 publications this year, spanning work in over 115 countries from trade and competitiveness to climate resilience, social protection, scalable education models, integrated public health systems, gender, and more.
These publications translated into influence: findings informed how governments design social assistance and public transportation networks, diagnose barriers to growth, and leverage AI across education, healthcare delivery, and beyond. Alongside this, CID faculty affiliates mentored students and emerging scholars, investing in the next generation of development leaders.
Supporting Scholars, Strengthening Research
CID supported over 80 research fellows from 16 countries this year, creating a vibrant global community where researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and policymakers could exchange ideas and shape the future of development.
"CID helped me think more carefully about the kind of work I hope to contribute to moving forward - research that is rigorous, grounded in context, and genuinely attentive to the communities it is meant to serve."
People by the Numbers
CID invests in places by connecting Harvard with communities around the world through global convenings, experiential learning, and a growing network of alumni and institutional partners. These connections create opportunities for ideas to be tested, collaborations to take root, and knowledge to flow across sectors, disciplines, and borders.
By investing in places, CID is helping turn research into action, elevating local voices, and strengthening the partnerships that advance human potential around the world.
Convening for Global Impact
CID’s convenings are designed to spark action, not just conversation. Throughout the spring, GEM26: Reimagining International Development unfolded as a series of interconnected conversations, beginning with Road to GEM events and podcasts, culminating in the flagship conference in May, and continuing through GEM Foundations, which brought philanthropists together to explore their role in a changing development landscape.
The Urban Mobility and Climate Change Conference in March united researchers and practitioners to advance new approaches to sustainable transportation, while the Harvard-Yale Development Economics PhD Retreat created space for emerging scholars to share research and build connections. Together, these convenings strengthened global partnerships, catalyzed new collaborations, and helped move the field from dialogue to action.
Mobilizing Global Leaders
This year, CID launched the Thrive Network, creating a new platform for Harvard alumni committed to advancing human potential around the world. From its inaugural gathering in Cambridge to alumni-led events in Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil and Kenya, Thrive is building a more connected global community that will foster collaboration, mentorship, and lasting engagement across sectors and regions.
CID leadership also deepened relationships across Africa, traveling to Abidjan and Rabat, as well as hosting ministers from across the continent and the President of African Development Bank on campus.
Local Partnerships, Global Learning
CID’s global learning programs connect Harvard students with communities at the forefront of development, grounding classroom learning in local knowledge and experience. Through CID’s Global Internship Program, 29 students interned with 14 organizations across 12 countries, while J-Term funding supported 12 student research projects in eight countries.
CID’s partnership with the University of British Columbia’s Global Reporting Program also challenged policy students to translate complex development issues into compelling, accessible stories for wider audiences. Together, these experiences strengthened students’ ability to listen, communicate, and collaborate while building lasting relationships with partners around the world.
Places by the Numbers
CID invests in bold ideas and rigorous research that offer new ways to understand and address the most pressing challenges in global development. By supporting work across disciplines and encouraging collaboration between researchers and practitioners, CID creates space for emerging insights to be tested, refined, and shared.
This investment strengthens the evidence, partnerships, and intellectual leadership needed to translate promising ideas into action and help shape a more prosperous future.
Ideas for a New Era in Development
Development Reimagined: Pathways to a Thriving World brought together Harvard Faculty Affiliates to advance new thinking on economic transformation, education, workforce development, social norms, and institutional change—helping shape the next generation of development policy and practice.
Advancing Research that Matters
This year, CID strengthened Harvard's capacity to generate policy-relevant research. The Center supported more than 20 sponsored research proposals totaling over $7 million and helped secure funding for the Reimagining the Economy's Global Economic Transformation initiative, a new collaboration designed to take on some of the world's biggest economic challenges.
Through 22 Lunch on International Economic Policy seminars, monthly Research Xchanges, and eight interdisciplinary research programs, CID fostered collaboration across Harvard while making cutting-edge research more accessible to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.
"We were thrilled to partner with CID to launch the new Global Economic Transformation Initiative. Our shared vision and close collaboration will strengthen our collective response to today’s challenges and deepen the impact of this important work."
A New Intellectual Framework for Development
This year, CID introduced From Poverty to Potential, a new vision for development that shifts the focus from managing poverty to expanding human potential and creating pathways to shared prosperity. Building on this framework, CID leadership Asim I. Khwaja and Fatema Z. Sumar are co-authoring a new book, to be published in Spring 2027, that will further articulate this vision and advance a new paradigm for the field.
How to Engage
Support the work of CID and help us build a thriving world for all.
- Learn from CID faculty affiliates by reading their research
- Invest in CID by supporting supporting cutting-edge ideas
- Subscribe to the CID newsletter to hear more about our research, events, and open positions
- Hear from leading voices in international development by listening to the CID Podcast
- Explore the work of CID's Research Programs and Initiatives or explore our research themes
- Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube, and on Instagram @HarvardCID
Harvard CID’s 2026 Annual Letter — Print Edition
Read the designed print edition of CID’s 2026 Annual Letter, highlighting how CID invested in people, places, and ideas over the past year.