Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is chosen for Harvard fellowships

Caption

Jacinda Ardern, pictured last summer, resigned as New Zealand's prime minister and left Parliament earlier this year. "I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow," she says. / AP

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been chosen for multiple fellowships at Harvard University, the school announced Tuesday.

Ardern resigned as prime minister and left Parliament earlier this year and said she "no longer had enough in the tank" to continue in politics.

She has been selected as a 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and a Hauser Leader at Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. Additionally, she has been named as a Knight Tech Governance Leadership Fellow at Harvard Law School.

"I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow — not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn," Ardern said. "As leaders, there's often very little time for reflection, but reflection is critical if we are to properly support the next generation of leaders."

The Angelopoulos fellowship "provides opportunities for high-profile leaders who are transitioning from public service roles," while the Hauser fellowship appoints high-profile leaders to work with students and faculty on improving leadership skills, the school said.

During the Knight Tech fellowship, Ardern will "study ways to improve content standards and platform accountability for extremist content online, and examine artificial intelligence governance and algorithmic harms," Harvard said.

Ardern became the world's youngest leader in 2017 at the age of 37. Her last day in office was Feb. 7.

In six years, Ardern garnered a positive reputation globally, taking on challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch and a volcanic eruption.

Ardern previously received the Kennedy School's Gleitsman International Activist Award in 2020 and delivered Harvard's 2022 commencement speech.

"Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership," Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said. "She earned respect far beyond the shores of her country, and she will bring important insights for our students and will generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels."

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.