Day 2 was to prove just as exciting, as we split off into our respective conference delegation teams. Today’s agenda was to be more focused on the 2018 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings with finance, economics and Indo-Pacific focused topics:

• Lisa Elliston, Division Head, International Policy & Engagement Division at The Treasury, gave the delegation insight into Australia’s role in the World Bank/IMF, including ensuring there is a global focus on driving initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Ben Davey, Acting Assistance Secretary at DFAT ASEAN and Regional Architecture, emphasised the significance of the Australia-ASEAN relationship and ASEAN’s consensus driven approach to tackling regional issues.
• John Larkin, Assistance Secretary of Banks and Infrastructure and Finance Branch at DFAT, raised some great ideas around stimulating private sector innovation by improving the environment for foreign direct investment.
• Mr. M.I. Derry Aman, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, spoke on the importance of the recent Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Indonesia and Australia

And just like that, our short and swift time in Canberra came to an end! It was an incredibly refreshing experience, and I walked away with three key learnings:

1. Technology can play a big role in effective policy – Digital transformation is becoming a crucial agenda item at international conferences like the WB/IMF Annuals, representing a great but still relatively unknown enabler at unlocking economic growth and development.
2. You cannot solve wicked problems in silos – It takes a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle the big issues, and I got to see that first hand as part of a diverse delegation team with different backgrounds, perspectives and passions.
3. Australia’s international focus and reputation – With so much importance on our relationships in the Indo-Pacific (such as with ASEAN and Indonesia), it is great to hear that our opinion is well respected as an “honest broker”.

Day 1 of the Pre-Departure Briefing started at Parliament House, where we had an action-packed day meeting with federal ministers and policy experts with some thought-provoking insight, including:

• The Hon Kelly O’Dwyer, Minister for Jobs, Industrial Relations and Women, speaking on how technology can enable economic security for women through matching and upskill talent with jobs.
• Allan Behm, Senior Policy Advisor and Speech Writer for Senator Penny Wong, on the importance of having values-based foreign policy and constructive/collaborative internationalism.
• The Hon Harry Jenkins AO, former Speaker of the House and current Chairman of Global Voices, giving us a behind-the-scenes tour of Parliament house (and stopping  politicians
• The House of Representatives during my first ever Question Time, where there was a lot of fierce debate and Global Voices even received a shout out!
• Dr. Sarah Pearson, Chief Innovation Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), about driving sustainable innovation including demonstrating impact, connecting the ecosystem and using incubators to scale.

After driving from Sydney to Canberra (and potentially getting a bit lost on the Canberra roundabouts!), Day 0 of the Global Voices Pre-Departure Briefing began with an introduction to the program and the other delegates going to the various conferences (The World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, CSW63 Commission on the Status of Women and COP24 Climate Change Conference). During our briefing session, we also got the chance to hear from Harry Jenkins AO, Chair of the Global Voices Board of Directors and Former Speaker of the House of Representatives.

My top three takeaways from today’s briefing session:

1. Do not try to solve problems in silos – It takes a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle the big issues, and the different backgrounds of each of the delegates brings that experience.
2. International Diplomacy isn’t easy – When unanimous agreement is required to pass through policy, the different stages of development between each nation can be a challenge.
3. Importance of understanding technology to create effective policy – Digitisation is becoming a crucial agenda item at these international conferences, and it represents a great enabler but still unknown enabler at unlocking economic development.