Today the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) launched the 2026 cohort of the Emerging Policymakers Program (EPP) at its headquarters, underscoring the Bank’s commitment to strengthening climate policy capacity and advancing sustainable development across emerging and developing economies.
A ceremony featured remarks by AIIB Chief Economist Erik Berglof and Professor Bai Chong-En, Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, alongside representatives of the 2026 cohort.
The annual capacity-building program is designed for early-career government officials from emerging and developing economies working on infrastructure and climate policy. As the knowledge partner of the EPP, AIIB works collaboratively with global leading academic institutions to deliver this program—including the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Leadership Academy for Development, a project of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, part of Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
The 2026 cohort brings together 40 participants from 27 countries for a three-month program combining in-person and online learning. The program covers topics such as climate science, environmental governance, the low-carbon transition, green industrial policy, innovation, and sustainable infrastructure. Participants will engage in lectures, policy debates, field visits and sessions with practitioners from AIIB and partner institutions. With a strong emphasis on case-based learning and policy simulations, the program equips participants to address real-world challenges in climate policy and green finance, reflecting a multi-institutional collaboration bridging academic excellence and development practice.
The EPP was piloted in 2025 and subsequently expanded this year, reflecting AIIB’s continued support for capacity building, climate finance and fostering policy dialogue among emerging and developing economies.
AIIB also hosted an event alongside the EPP launch to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity, under the theme “Building Nature into Infrastructure – Creating Opportunities for Biodiversity and Resilience.”
The event brought together representatives from multilateral development banks and other organizations to discuss the role of nature-based solutions and broader “Nature as Infrastructure” approaches in strengthening resilient and sustainable infrastructure development. Discussions highlighted the importance of integrating biodiversity considerations early into project planning and delivery, including through the incorporation of biodiversity impact mitigation through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Nature as Infrastructure (NAI) in project designs. The event reinforced shared emphasis on building policy capacity, advancing sustainable development and supporting long-term resilience in Asia and beyond.
About AIIB
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a multilateral development bank dedicated to financing “Infrastructure for Tomorrow,” with sustainability at its core. AIIB began operations in 2016, now has 111 approved members worldwide, is capitalized at USD100 billion, and is AAA-rated by major international credit rating agencies. AIIB collaborates with partners to mobilize capital and invest in infrastructure and other productive sectors that foster sustainable economic development and enhance regional connectivity.
