Designing Systems for Hope | A Conversation with H.E. Ghada Waly on Power, Policy, and the Courage to Step Back

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 | 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛.𝗘. 𝗚𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿, 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮."In this episode of A Legacy of Purpose, host Dina H. Sherif is joined by a true pioneer of global development, Her Excellency Dr. Ghada Waly.From the rural fields of Upper Egypt to the high-stakes treaty rooms of the United Nations in Vienna, Ghada Waly’s career has been defined by a singular mission: to center human dignity in the machinery of government.As Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity, she didn’t just manage poverty—she innovated against it. She architected Takaful and Karama (Solidarity and Dignity), a conditional cash transfer program that supported millions of families by linking financial aid to education and health, using technology to bridge the gap between the state and the most vulnerable.She later took this "bottom-up" philosophy to the global stage as the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)—becoming the first woman, African, and Arab to hold the post. There, she championed an alternative, holistic perspective on security, arguing that crime is often a symptom of hopelessness, not just a matter of policing.In this intimate conversation, we explore:• The "Real Work": How her early days in micro-finance and field work shaped her policy decisions.• Innovation in Government: How she used digital infrastructure and private sector partnerships to modernize Egypt’s social safety nets.• The Engine of Growth: Why she views entrepreneurship—not aid—as the ultimate graduation from poverty, and her take on Egypt’s shifting policy landscape for startups.• Breaking Barriers: Navigating the UN as an African Arab woman and building consensus in a polarized world.• The Courage to Pause: Her candid reflection on resigning from the UN to prioritize family, and what that says about the true definition of legacy.Join us for a conversation that challenges the status quo and reimagines what it means to lead with purpose.Host: Dina SherifProduced by Sherif ShafieFor Media Inquiries:Sherif Shafie Sloan School of ManagementMassachusetts Institute of Technology292 Main St, E38, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142