Our vision
Our vision is that all sustainable development is built on the rule of law.
The Oxford Policy Fellowship (OPF) supports governments in overcoming the unique issues they face by providing them with demand-led, legal technical assistance.
We source high performing lawyers to work within current government systems and processes for two years, supporting change from within. These lawyers, known as Fellows, work on a range of legal and policy issues from environment, to finance, to health. By providing support from within governments, we ensure sustainable and locally-owned development without creating parallel structures.
We also facilitate a ‘community of practice’ for professionals working at the law and public policy nexus, promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and learning across ministries, governments and the wider community. In addition, we also work to document and share learnings about our model of embedded technical assistance and how law can be used to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
What is the Oxford Policy Fellowship’s approach?
- Driven by the demand of host ministries’
- Support is built on trust and a comprehensive understanding of the local context
- Adaptive to the changing needs of governments
Our mission
Supporting low- and middle-income countries by providing them with embedded technical support to meet their legal and policy needs.
The support of the Oxford Policy Fellow was commendable in the wake of the Covid-19 global pandemic. As countries around the world shut their borders with many leaving for their home countries, the Fellow remained with us at the critical period to support in the development of our response plans, secure funding, medical equipment and consumables that were much needed for our comprehensive response to the Covid-19 epidemic in Sierra Leone.
Prof. Dr Alpha Tejan Wurie, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone
Our values
Responsive
We respond to low- and middle-income country governments’ identified legal and policy needs.
Integrity
We act with honesty and transparency in all our actions and interactions.
Learning
We learn continuously from our experience and evidence.
Impact-focused
We work to generate long-term real change.
Our goals
- Low- and middle-income country (LMIC) governments request Oxford Policy Fellows to support them in addressing their legal and policy needs.
- Identify and deploy high-calibre lawyers to support and strengthen legal capacity in LMIC ministries.
- Alumni Fellows support sustainable development in LMICs.
- Create a law and policy community of practice for LMIC government practitioners.
- International development actors recognise the critical and effective role that embedded legal expertise plays in delivering the sustainable development goals.
OPF at a glance
- Started in 2015 as a not-for-profit organisation
- Partnered with 11 countries
- 30 Fellows have been posted, each for a period of two years
- 2/3 of our Fellows have been women
- 2/3 of our Fellows are low- and middle-income country nationals
- Hosted 5 Annual Meetings for our Community of Practice in Italy, Oxford (2), Kenya and Rwanda
- Partnered with ministries of environment and climate change, finance, health, education trade and many more.