Federal Foreign office of Germany

Application Deadline: September 3rd 2013

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations is pleased to announce the Fall 2013 Fellowship programme in the MENA region for European and North American young professionals. Current events, the recent Baku Alumni Forum and the last cohort of MENA Fellows this past June underscore the need for accelerated dialogue and action in fostering peace, understanding, trust and cooperation.

About the Fellowship:

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations is a competitive Fellowship program designed to foster mutual understanding, trust, cooperation and dialogue between emerging leaders from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe, Canada and the United States. The program is sponsored by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany in partnership with the League of Arab States, Guerrand-Hermes, ISESCO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Jordan, the Qatar foundation, OIC and the Institute of International Education.

MENA Fellows travel to 3 countries in Europe and 3 States in the United States. European, Canadian and American Fellows travel to 3 countries in the MENA region. Fellows meet with host country officials, government leaders, representatives of the media, NGOs, academics and religious groups to gain a multidimensional perspective of the political, economic and social background of each country.

This year the Fellowship program will be in November 2013 (Dates TBC). Fellows will travel to three countries (TBD) in the MENA region.

Airfare and transportation, lodging and food expenses are covered by the programme.

Overview:

The objective of the Fellowship programme is to contribute to enhance knowledge and understanding between peoples and societies from Muslim-majority countries, mainly from the Arab World, and from Europe and North America. The programme creates an opportunity for emerging leaders from these societies to get acquainted with the diverse realities and cultural, political and religious environments of the others.

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon with Fellows of 2010 and 2011 at the Doha forum

A group of 12 young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa visit 3-6 countries in Europe and the States in the U.S and a group of 12 y oung leaders from Europe and North America visit 3-6 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The duration of each trip is around 15-20 days. During their trips, fellows are given the opportunity to meet their counterparts in other regions, and to visit governmental, media, educational, civil society and business institutions.

The Fellowship program of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization has been made possible thanks to a grant of the Federal Foreign office of Germany and is developed in partnership with the League of Arab States, the British Council, ISESCO, the Qatar committee for the Alliance of Civilization and the Institute of International Education.

For more information click here

Eligibility
In order to apply for the Fellowship, applicants have to meet these criteria

• Citizens of countries located in North Africa and the Middle East or North America and Europe
• Accomplished and influential young professionals and leaders recognized by your communities with the potential to become key leaders in your field in the near future
• Active either in politics (local, national, or international), civil society organizations, media, the business sector, local communities, faith based movements, and other fields
• Willingness to use this experience in your leadership position
• Motivated and  available to take part of an approximately 15-20 day-full program as scheduled by the organizer and to respect  all rules and regulations on locations from the organizer and the host countries (a commitment letter will be given for you to sign)
• Be no younger than 28 and no older than 38 years of age
  
• Good knowledge of written and spoken English
• Possess a passport valid at least 6 months beyond the assigned Fellowship dates

Selection
Only complete applications received  will be considered. A selection committee of partners will conduct an initial review of the applications, conduct phone/video interviews for the pre-selected ones, and provide recommendations about which candidates are the most qualified to take part of this Fellowship and these candidates will be contacted.

The Application Package
All material must be submitted electronically, in English as a single file document to the UNAOC secretariat: [email protected].

The application packet should include:

1) Fellowship application

2) The essay questions included in the application

3) Current resume+ photo

4) One letter of recommendation included in the submission

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UNAOC fall 2013 Fellowship

Learn more by clicking here.