Policy Principles to Heal the World | Sinit Zeru | TEDxSandford Intl School Youth

How can we solve society's biggest challenges without making them worse? In this TEDx talk, Sinit Zeru draws on her experience in public policy to explore why well-intentioned solutions often fail. Through compelling real-world examples, she introduces four principles for designing more effective and humane policies: question who defines the problem, embrace complexity before simplifying, recognise the limits of our own perspectives, and lead with compassion. Her talk offers a fresh framework for tackling complex social issues with greater wisdom, inclusion, and impact. Sinit Zeru is a Strategic Policy Advisor with 15+ years’ experience across countries and sectors. She leads specialist advisory teams at the Tony Blair Institute, focusing on government digital transformation to improve citizen services. She previously directed TBI’s Tech for Development Policy Unit, managing global teams across San Francisco, London, Accra, and Singapore. Earlier, she served as a Senior Advisor driving innovative tools in public service delivery and advised Rwanda’s National Capacity Building Secretariat. Sinit is a keynote speaker and moderator at major global forums, including the Innovation Africa Digital Summit, UN Internet Governance Forum, and African Women in AI Ethics. She has also held leadership roles in strategic communications across Tanzania and Kenya. Sinit is a trustee of the Windsor Fellowship and holds degrees from Oxford, UCL, and executive training from LSE and Harvard Kennedy School. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx