The Balsillie School is proud to congratulate Master of International Public Policy student Matthew Sunil, who has been named one of the winners of the International Policy Ideas Challenge 2026.
Managed by Global Affairs Canada in collaboration with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, this annual initiative celebrates Canada’s emerging policy leaders by inviting graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early-career researchers to propose innovative solutions to pressing international policy challenges.
Matthew’s winning proposal, “Climate security integration into NATO planning,” examines how Canada can leverage its role as host of the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence to advance the alliance’s integration of climate security.
In addition to this achievement, Matthew will join UN Development Programme Malawi as a program (minerals) fellow, supporting mineral-sector governance and extractive-industry reform in September 2026.