POLICY EXPERT | RESEARCHER & AUTHOR | COMMUNITY LEADER
Dr Esuna Dugarova advances societal progress by integrating inclusive and equitable perspectives in policies, programs and strategies, both in physical and digital worlds. With over 15 years of work experience, she has provided public policy advice to over 100 countries at the UN, consulted for the World Bank on civic engagement, and assessed multimillion proposals for the European Union.
In parallel with her policy work, Esuna leads research and community action. As a visiting scholar at Columbia University and a visiting professor at the National University of Mongolia, she has conducted primary research about the Buryat-Mongols that examines power, agency and identity amid geopolitical and socio-economic transformations in Eurasia. She also founded the Global Buryat Academy that preserves Buryat-Mongolian cultural heritage for future generations.
Esuna is the recipient of various international, national and local awards for her contributions to international development, community action, and thought leadership. With a PhD from Cambridge University, she has authored over 50 publications and knows 8 languages.
Photo by Michel Bührer
Policy expert
Esuna Dugarova has provided policy advice, strategic guidance, and technical support on socio-economic development and gender mainstreaming to over 100 country offices at UNDP. She also advised executive leadership on emerging trends, risks and opportunities, and effective strategies to address them, resulting in the organization ranking in top 5% of 201 global development entities.
Esuna is a creator and research coordinator of the Global Gender Response Tracker that monitors and analyzes 5,000 social, economic and environmental policies in 226 countries. It has been widely used by governments, international bodies, civil society and private sector, including USAID, G7 Advisory Council and Gates Foundation, thereby contributing to evidence-based policymaking worldwide. The tracker was rated among the top three of the world’s most significant policy tracker initiatives.
Esuna also led a coalition of over 50 workers resulting in a position paper that influenced the adoption of International Personnel Services Agreement at UNDP, its first policy of this kind that created better employment, access to healthcare, and learning opportunities for 10,000 employees in 130 countries, thereby making the institution more equal, fair and inclusive.
Researcher
Dr Dugarova has conducted interdisciplinary research using quantitative and qualitative methods on a wide range of issues — from poverty, social protection and gender equality globally to Buddhism, language, and identity locally. Her work reflects multifaceted and interconnected dimensions of development, showing dynamic interactions between global challenges, national policies, and local practices.
As an academic, she has worked at Cambridge University, London School of Economics and National University of Mongolia, and gave various talks and lectures around the world, including at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), Global Institute for Women's Leadership of King's College London, and Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has also supervised students across diverse disciplines and provided substantive guidance on their research projects.
Based on her research, Dr Dugarova has written over 50 publications, including scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals, policy reports published by multilateral organizations (UN, World Bank, IMF, EU), and opinion essays in international and national newspapers and magazines.
In addition, Esuna regularly contributes her expertise as an invited reviewer at high-impact journals, including The Lancet, World Development, Global Change, Peace & Security, and Social Politics.
Author
Esuna's first award-winning book “The Star of the Nomadess” — an authentic account of living experience in the West through the lens of her Buryat identity — contributes to transforming social norms about women’s agency in Buryatia and beyond, while promoting interconnectedness in today’s globalised world.
Available on Amazon, Google Books, British Library, Cambridge University Library, and public libraries in Moscow, St Petersburg and Buryatia.
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Community leader
Esuna is a founder and head of the Global Buryat Academy. It preserves the endangered Buryat language and cultural heritage for current and future generations, while enhancing transnational social capital through capacity development activities.
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She also mentors individuals and grassroots organizations from diverse backgrounds, offering guidance on personal and professional growth, education, jobs, and funding opportunities. By leveraging knowledge, skills, and network gained through this support, her mentees are empowered to succeed in their lives. Some of them now work in major multinational organizations and academic institutions around the world, while others create innovative home-grown solutions to improve livelihoods in their local communities.
