Ministers invited to participate in the June Ministerial Forum are required to identify a ‘legacy goal’ before coming to Harvard. The idea of a legacy goal is the focal point of the Ministerial Forum curriculum designed to have Ministers sieve through the many priorities they are confronted with to determine which is likely to make the most enduring impact and benefit the most people. During the Ministerial Forum, Ministers map a plan for how they can use their leadership skills and authority to mobilize support for their legacy goal, secure the needed resources, and lead an implementation strategy. In the June Forum legacy goals ranged from reducing maternal mortality in Rwanda, to improving educational performance in Botswana, and ending smoking in Malaysia.

In pre- and post-Forum competency assessments participating Ministers indicated greatest benefit in their ‘understanding of my role as Minister’; ‘Engage the support of the Finance Minister’; and effectively leading implementation of their legacy goal.