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GraSPP students shine at 2025 GPPN Annual Conference
The 2025 Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Annual Conference took place from March 5-7 at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York. This year’s theme, “How can we create enabling environments for the development and financing of innovative solutions in climate tech, renewable energy, nature-based solutions, and social innovations, especially in vulnerable regions?“, emphasized the urgent need for policies and innovations to address pressing global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty, and social inequality.
From GraSPP, 12 students across 4 teams, selected through the internal pre-selection process of A2 Case Study: GraSPP Policy Challenge, presented their innovative public policy proposals to a distinguished jury of deans and professors.
Project LIME – a proposal to install green concrete in Laos – earned second place in the competition, tied with Sciences Po’s team “YAO”. The project’s focus on sustainable building materials won praise for its innovative approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This marks the third time GraSPP has placed in the competition, a testament to the school’s excellence in policy development. Huge congratulations to our Team LIME: Sheena Kanon Leong, Taishin Noble (2nd year MPP/IP), and Luna Vassao (1st year MPP/IP) for their outstanding achievement.
“It was an honor to present at the 2025 GPPN Conference in the heart of New York alongside students from various esteemed public policy institutions. This year’s conference felt especially meaningful as it marked the 20th Annual GPPN Conference!
We are deeply appreciative of this opportunity to contribute to discussions on global policy issues and engage in the collective exchange of ideas on how to address them head-on. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the team at Columbia for organizing, our Dean Kawaguchi, Professor Orsi, Professor Yoshikawa, and many others for their meticulous guidance, Ms. Ohno, and our fellow conference delegates for making this such a memorable experience. We left with valuable insights on tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, and are hopeful that the connections built and ideas shared during this conference will drive positive change in the years to come!” said Team LIME.
Dean Daiji Kawaguchi expressed his pride, noting, “Project LIME of the award-winning team convincingly argued how the ecolabeling of concrete reduces GHH emission. Juries appreciated their robust argument. This is the award to the teammates, classmates, staff, and professors who are involved in the process. Thank you for making me proud of being the GraSPP dean.”
The GraSPP students received invaluable guidance from their professors, including Prof. Roberto Orsi, Prof. Jun Arima, Prof. Makiko Matsuo, Prof. Hisashi Yoshikawa, Prof. Jin Bei, and Prof. Hiroshi Suzuki, whose expertise was instrumental in shaping their proposals. Taria Andhiani, a TA for GPC 2024, who won last year’s GPPN competition in Paris, also provided vital support.
Prof. Roberto Orsi shared his thoughts: “I am delighted to report that a delegation of 12 GraSPP students (in four groups) headed by Dean Kawaguchi participated in the 2025 GPPN conference hosted by SIPA at Columbia University in New York on March 5-7, 2025. We enjoyed the great hospitality of our colleagues in SIPA, who impeccably organised this event. GraSPP’s groups competed in a very tight race against students from seven other top schools of public policy around the world, delivering on outstanding performance. Our group LIME won second place (losing the first prize by only one vote!) presenting on a project for the production of green concrete in Laos, a project which was praised by all the components of the jury for its pragmatism, accuracy, and thoughtfulness. All groups performed very well, demonstrating once again that GraSPP can compete with outstanding peers on the global stage. I want to thank our Dean, and all the students who participated in the GPPN conference as well as all those who, even if they were not selected to travel to New York, participated in this year’s GraSPP Policy Challenge (GPC) and therefore contributed to this activity. My gratitude also goes to the faculty members who helped with the mentoring of the groups: Prof. Suzuki, Prof. Yoshikawa, Prof. Arima, Prof. Matsuo, and Prof. Jin Bei. Finally, I would like to thank our member of staff Aoi Ohno, whose impeccable work has been vital in the organization of GPC and in GraSPP’s participation in this year’s GPPN conference, as always. We are now looking forward to the next conference at the LKYSPP in Singapore!”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the GPPN. The conference also provided a valuable opportunity for deans and faculty to discuss the future role of public policy schools and explore potential collaborations within the network. In addition, delegates were fortunate to visit the United Nations headquarters, gaining insights into the workings of global governance.
Team GraSPP 2025:
- Project LIME: Laos Initiative for Managing Concrete Emission – Second Prize
Sheena Kanon Leong, Taishin Noble (2nd year MPP/IP), Luna Vassao (1st year MPP/IP)
- UMBI | Funds for Planting in Indonesia: Digital Wallets Feature for Reforestation
Itsuki Shimoosako, Rachel Ho, Yee-Sol Chang, Xuemeng Yao (2nd year MPP/IP)
- BLUE CARBON MANGROVE (BLUCAM): Blue Carbon Farming Initiative for Coastal Area Rehabilitation in Balikpapan, Indonesia
Aldi Fauzan Akbar, Jovey Mae Domingo, Soo Yeon Yoo, Zhenqi Li (2nd year MPP/IP)
- Project DALAA: Disaster Adaptation through Local Awareness and Accountability
Bhatis Supasorn, Colette Bobenrieth, Anaïs Alma Blachon (2nd year MPP/IP)
We congratulate all the students who represented GraSPP and contributed to the success of this year’s GPPN Conference!
For more information about the Global Public Policy Network, visit GPPN Official Website.