#PolicyProfile: Nudhara Yusuf, MPA ’27

"I grew up between places and histories. My parents raised me in the United Kingdom and India. Growing up hearing stories about my grandfather, a political activist who lost his life advocating for the right to speak against injustice, inspires who I am as a person. When I got to university, I had this self-realization that the spaces where I felt most energized were those focused on politics and civic engagement. That path eventually led me to consult with the United Nations Development Program, which launched my career path. Being inside the U.N. showed me its importance and limitations. I became interested in how global institutions can evolve to meet the challenges of a changing world at a multilateral level. That interest led me to help co-found the Coalition for the U.N. (@c4unwn), which has grown into a network of more than 7,000 NGOs working to strengthen the U.N. system by initiating partnerships that advance the commitments made by 193 countries in the Pact for the Future. As a think tanker at the @stimsoncenter and executive coordinator of the Global Governance Innovation Network, which convenes 135 research institutions globally, I learned to appreciate the importance of research-backed advocacy in generating momentum for change. This combined experience enabled my appointment as the youngest chair of the U.N. Civil Society Conference in 68 years of its history. At Princeton SPIA, I’m continuing to explore a question that has followed me throughout my career: What does the future of multilateralism look like? I don’t have one answer, but I know the work involves bringing together different perspectives and building genuine connections. Whether it’s dinner in Proctor Hall or at DBar, a conversation about tariffs or the future of tech policy, everyone has a slightly different but important perspective that creates a mini ecosystem of the world within our cohort. It challenges and strengthens how I view the world in a way that cannot be found in any other global environment.”