I absolutely loved returning for the On Think Tanks Conference this year in Rabat, Morocco.
Beautifully hosted by the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), the conference brought together an extraordinary community of think tank leaders, researchers, practitioners, and institution-builders from around the world. As someone attending both as a participant and as the founder of a newly established think tank, I left Rabat energised, inspired, and grateful for the generosity of colleagues who were willing to share their experiences and lessons learned.
Last year, I described the On Think Tanks Conference as the “World Cup of think tanks.” After attending for a second year, I stand by that comparison.
I should also confess that On Think Tanks has developed a habit of choosing conference locations that are almost impossible to resist. Last year, I found myself exploring Cape Town after the conference in Johannesburg. This year, I had the opportunity to experience Morocco’s remarkable diversity—from the elegant diplomatic quarter of Rabat to the blue streets of Chefchaouen, the ancient medina of Fez, and the energy of Tangier.
At this point, I have started joking that I plan my summer vacations—and perhaps increasingly my professional calendar!—around the On Think Tanks Conference schedule.
This year’s trip to Rabat was especially memorable because it came immediately after another event that I greatly value. The very day I departed for Morocco, I spent the morning and afternoon in Washington, DC, attending Foreign Policy for America’s 2026 Leadership Summit. By all accounts, the timing should have made attending both events difficult. Yet somehow fate smiled on me, and I was able to participate fully in both conferences before making my evening flight to Rabat.
Looking back, I find it fitting that these two gatherings occurred back-to-back. Although they brought together different communities, both conferences centred around many of the same themes: building relationships across sectors, investing in future leaders, strengthening institutions, and finding constructive ways to engage with global challenges.
By the time I arrived in Rabat, I was already running on a mixture of adrenaline, caffeine, and enthusiasm. Yet after several days of conversations, presentations, and reconnecting with colleagues old and new, I found myself feeling exactly as we used to say during my City Year AmeriCorps days: physically exhausted, but mentally flying.
This was my second On Think Tanks Conference, and I sincerely hope it will be far from my last. Beyond the professional development and networking opportunities, these gatherings provide a rare chance to learn from peers while experiencing different organisational and personal cultures, perspectives, and communities. In many ways, the conference embodies the very values that think tanks seek to promote: curiosity, dialogue, and learning across borders. I plan to attend many more in the years ahead, insha’Allah.
There are very few spaces where professionals from so many countries, disciplines, and institutional backgrounds can come together to openly discuss both the opportunities and challenges facing our organisations. Whether one works at a large, established institution or a newly launched initiative, there is a remarkable spirit of openness that makes these conferences unique.
This year’s theme, Think Tanks and Trust, could not have been more timely.
Trust is often discussed as something that organisations seek to earn from the public, policymakers, funders, or partners. Yet one of my strongest takeaways from the conference was that trust also exists within our own professional community. It is reflected in the willingness of institutions to share ideas, discuss challenges candidly, and support one another’s growth.
What stood out most, however, was the generosity of this community.
Throughout the conference, colleagues were remarkably willing to share their experiences, lessons learned, and hard-earned institutional wisdom. Whether during formal sessions, coffee breaks, or informal conversations, I was struck by how eager people were to help one another succeed. For someone building a new institution, that spirit of openness and encouragement was both humbling and deeply appreciated.
Among the many excellent sessions, two stood out in particular. One explored partnerships between universities and think tanks, while another focused on securing core funding and building sustainable institutions.
As someone whose career has moved between universities, think tanks, international development organisations, and now academic diplomacy, I found the discussion on university-think tank partnerships particularly relevant. The conversation highlighted the complementary strengths that these institutions bring to public discourse and reinforced the importance of building bridges between research, education, and policy engagement.
The session on securing core funding was equally valuable. In an environment where many organisations are facing financial uncertainty and increasing competition for resources, presenters demonstrated a remarkable degree of openness about their experiences. They shared lessons learned, institutional strategies, and practical guidance that could benefit organisations at every stage of development.
What struck me most was the collaborative spirit that animated these conversations. Rather than treating one another as competitors, participants approached discussions with a mindset of collective learning. The willingness to exchange ideas and practical guidance reflected a community committed to helping one another succeed, even in a challenging funding environment.
One of the highlights of the conference for me was the opportunity to facilitate a “Building a Better Community” session focused on newly established think tanks.
I shared the vision behind the U.S.–Bangladesh NextGen Fellowship and Policy Institute (USBNFPI), a nonprofit organisation that seeks to strengthen U.S.–Bangladesh understanding through policy research, public engagement, mentorship, and fellowship opportunities for students and young professionals interested in Bangladesh and South Asia. The organisation is developing a hybrid model that combines policy research and public engagement with diaspora partnerships, scholarships, mentorship, and professional development opportunities designed to cultivate the next generation of Bangladesh specialists and policy practitioners.
As a new organisation, we are actively exploring questions that many emerging think tanks face. How can fellowship programs be designed sustainably? How can organisations balance research and educational programming? What partnership models work best with universities, think tanks, NGOs, diaspora organisations, and funders? And how can new institutions build credibility, impact, and long-term resilience? These were the questions I brought to Rabat, and I could not have asked for a better group of colleagues with whom to discuss them.
The discussion was exactly what I had hoped it would be: intimate, interactive, candid, and immensely helpful.
I had the privilege of engaging with Enrique and many other colleagues and peers, including representatives from the UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, IDEAS Malaysia, the Stimson Center, and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Their willingness to share experiences, offer practical advice, and encourage new initiatives like USBNFPI exemplified the spirit of mentorship and community that made the conference so special.
As someone in the early stages of building an institution, I found those conversations invaluable. They reminded me that while every organisation faces unique circumstances, many of the core challenges of institution-building are shared. More importantly, they reminded me that there is an extraordinary global network of people willing to help others navigate those challenges.
Perhaps that is what I will remember most about my time in Rabat.
The conference theme centred on trust, but I left thinking just as much about community.
The relationships formed over coffee breaks, meals, panel discussions, and informal conversations may ultimately prove just as valuable as the formal sessions themselves. These connections create opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and shared learning that extend far beyond a few days at a conference.
I left Rabat with new ideas, new friendships, and renewed enthusiasm for the work ahead. I am already looking forward to continuing conversations with many of the colleagues I met there and exploring opportunities for future collaboration.
As I reflected on the journey home, I found myself thinking back to the comparison I made after last year’s conference, when I described On Think Tanks as the “World Cup of think tanks.”
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicking off this week, the analogy feels especially appropriate.
Like the World Cup, the conference brings together people from different countries, cultures, and institutions who might not otherwise find themselves in the same room. There is healthy competition, certainly, but there is also camaraderie, shared learning, and a sense that we are all part of something larger than ourselves. New friendships are formed, ideas cross borders, and participants return home energised by what they have learned from one another.
If last year’s conference convinced me that On Think Tanks is the World Cup of think tanks, this year’s conference reminded me why people keep coming back: not simply for the sessions, but for the community.
And unlike the actual World Cup, we don’t have to wait another four years for the next one.
For that—and for the global professional community that I have grown to treasure—I am deeply grateful.