Policy advice
Dr Dugarova has over 15 years of experience leading rigorous policy research, data analysis, policy advice, and evaluation of socio-economic issues, including poverty reduction, employment and social protection, while integrating diverse considerations such as gender, age, rural/urban location, and race/ethnicity. At the United Nations, she has led a portfolio of socio-economic development and gender equality, providing strategic advice to executive leadership, carrying out technical support to over 100 country offices, producing policy reports, developing multi-stakeholder partnerships, and engaging with stakeholders at global, regional and national levels.
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Esuna created the Global Gender Response Tracker - an online data-driven tool that monitors and analyzes 5,000 social, economic and environmental policies in 226 countries/territories. 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.
She has also assessed large-scale socio-economic proposals for the European Union, analyzed online civic engagement at the World Bank, examined migration from BRICS countries at the London School of Economics, and acted as a jury at various panels, including the Swiss Network for International Studies. Based on her research, Esuna has authored over 50 publications, including technical reports, research articles and policy briefs. She is regularly invited to serve as a reviewer in various academic journals such as The Lancet, World Development, Global Change, Peace & Security, Social Politics, International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, Local Environment, and Gender, Work & Organization.
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Community action
In parallel with her policy work, Esuna is actively engaged in community action. She founded the Global Buryat Academy in 2021 which sustains the endangered Buryat language and cultural heritage for current and future generations through educational, cultural and capacity development activities. The Academy offers lectures on Buryat history, culture and traditions, Buddhism, and Buryat and Mongolian language classes. It also strengthens the community by providing a trustful space for peer learning, knowledge exchange and self-reflection, while creating a sense of belonging and integrity based on shared values. As a head of the Academy, Esuna coordinates its activities, develops community relations across borders, and builds new partnerships. Contact the Buryat Academy to learn more.
In addition to community service, Esuna leads a scholarly project on Buryat-Mongolian identity, power relations, and local agency in the context of geopolitical and socio-economic transformations in Eurasia. Based on extensive primary research—including interviews, archival materials, and fieldwork in Buryatia, Mongolia, China and India—it offers a distinctive perspective and new insights into the experiences of this ethnic minority amid Eurocentric hegemony. It also contributes to a broader movement toward reclaiming knowledge to create a more nuanced, balanced and fair narrative.
Mentorship
Esuna has provided tailored mentorship, consultations, and advice to individuals on professional growth, educational and job opportunities, grants and scholarships, and personal development. She has also helped organizations at national and local levels to develop capacities through sharing knowledge and resources, skills development, and connection to the global network. Her mentees work in major international organizations, private companies, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and leading universities, while also creating their own startups and innovative solutions with positive impact.