Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab

image of logoThe biggest questions of our time call for community-centered and action-oriented leadership that is policy-aware and regionally and globally competent. Defining and resolving our common dilemmas requires inclusion and collaboration. The Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab, jointly launched by the East-West Center and the Japan Foundation in 2023, is for rising leaders from diverse sectors, including academia, civil society, non-profit, business, and government, who want to deepen their leadership practice and increase their impact. The Lab is for those who are ready to listen sincerely, question profoundly, and learn from real-world experience and practice.

Each year, leaders in the Lab will focus on a specific complex and interconnected social issue. Alongside fifteen other rising leaders from across the Indo-Pacific, leaders will join a year-long program that includes three one-week, in-person seminars held in Hawaii, Fiji, and Japan. Together, leaders will critically examine current responses to the issue and explore community approaches and their connections to local and regional policy. They will identify critical gaps and explore and test responses in their home communities, with guidance from community leaders, topic experts, and leadership mentors.

Leaders who complete the Lab will be better equipped to support communities in articulating their adaptation goals and the vulnerability analyses they are rooted in, and in crafting transformative climate change action. Leaders will chronicle their experiences of testing community adaptation plans and build capacities and connections for inclusive, community-led climate change adaptation

Application Guidelines

*Applications for the 2nd cohort (2024-2025) are now closed

overview (Reference Data)
Eligibility
  • Applicants must be a citizen and resident from Japan, United States of America, Oceania, South Asia or Southeast Asia
  • 5-10 years of deep work or research experience in an area with clear connections to climate change mitigation, adaption planning, natural resources or environmental governance, or related area
  • Verbal fluency in English, with strong written English skills
  • Able to commit to one week of travel in Hawaii, Fiji and Japan (three weeks total), plus monthly virtual connections in between travel
Schedule (2nd Cohort) Hawaii (December 2024) Fiji (April 2025) Japan (September 2025)
Items covered by the Program Round-trip discount economy class international airfare, domestic transportation,
accommodation, meals, applicable visa fees (if required), and overseas travel insurance.
Application Procedure For more information, please visit the East-West Center’s website.
Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab | East-West Center

Program Advisor

Meet the Fellows

Sixteen fellows from thirteen countries have been selected as the second cohort (2024-2025) of recipients of the Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab.

Cohort 1 (2023-2024) Activity Report

The first cohort fellows joined the program in Hawaii (January 2024), Fiji (April 2024) and Japan (September 2024). . They learned about the local climate change risks and efforts in community initiatives. They also visited various institutions that work on climate change issues in their region and had discussions that strengthened partnerships and networks on “Climate Change and Adaptation”.

schdule
Hawaii Program (Honolulu) 29 January – 2 February 2024
Fiji Program (Nadi, Suva) 22-26 April 2024
Japan Program (Tokyo, Okinawa and Miyagi) 9-14 September 2024
Hawaii Program(29 January – 2 February 2024)
  • Group photo (Hawaii Program)
  • Photo of the discussion by participants (Hawaii Program)
Fiji Program(22-26 April 2024)
  • Group photo (Fiji Program)
  • Photo of the discussion by participants (Fiji Program)
  • Photo of the outdoor workshop (Fiji Program)
Japan Program (9-14 September 2024)
  • Group photo (Japan Program)
  • Photo of inspection during a study visit to Japan (Japan Program)
  • Photo of farmers working on a farm during a training visit to Japan (Japan Program)

Media Coverage

East-West Center Website

[Contact us]

For questions about the ' Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab’ Program specifically, please contact:
leadership@eastwestcenter.org
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For questions about the JFIPP Network Fellowship Program, please contact the following:
Secretariat of JFIPP Fellowship Program
Global Partnerships Department
The Japan Foundation (JF)
Tel: +81-(0)3-5369-6072
E-mail: JFIPP_network@jpf.go.jp
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