Deadline: 31 May 2012
Since 1981, the United Nations Department of Public Information has sponsored an annual fellowship programme for junior and mid-level broadcasters and journalists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition at UN Headquarters in New York. Established in 1980 by the General Assembly, it provides journalists an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the work of the United Nations.
This year, the Programme is expected to include 12 junior and mid-level media professionals for a period of five weeks. The first four weeks will take place in New York and the last week in Geneva. The participants are recruited through UN field offices whose countries are selected on a rotating basis. As of 2011, 499 journalists and broadcasters from 165 countries have taken part in the Programme.
The Programme exposes participants to the work of the UN and offers them an opportunity to periodically prepare news stories on behalf of their news organizations. The Programme is not intended to provide basic skills training to broadcasters and journalists, as all participants are already working as media professionals.
The Programme does not lead to employment by the United Nations. Upon completion of the Programme, participants are expected to return home to continue to work in journalism or broadcasting and help promote better understanding of the United Nations.
This year's Programme will start on Tuesday, 4 September in New York and conclude on Friday, 5 October 2012 in Geneva. All participants are required to spend the first and last week of the Programme in hotels reserved by the Programme.
WORK PROGRAMME
• Familiarize themselves with the issues before the 67th session of the General Assembly.
• Undertake professional work assignments. Each candidate will be required to compile a dossier of news stories or scripts.
• Attend briefings by officials of the United Nations Secretariat, UN specialized agencies, programmes and funds.
• Visit major media organizations and relevant NGOs in New York to observe their operations.
• Periodically, as time permits, prepare news stories on behalf of their news organizations.
Please note that this intensive programme does not allow participants to report full-time for their news organizations. Participants must be advised that all costs for faxes, telephone feeds and radio circuits shall be paid for by the media organizations they represent if they file periodic news reports.
CANDIDATES
Candidates must be between the ages of 22 and 35, be a national of a pre-selected country and have several years of professional journalistic experience and a proven interest in international affairs. Only those currently employed by recognized media organizations are considered. Freelancers are not eligible. Candidates must provide a letter from their employers in which they agree to release the participant for the full duration of the Programme. It is also imperative that candidates be fluent in English in order to take optimum advantage of the Programme, since all briefings and workshops are conducted in English only. Candidates from non-English-speaking countries are required to pass a written exam in English, and be interviewed on the telephone.
For their part, participants are required to attend all briefings and take part in all organized visits/trips. A certificate of participation will be given after full completion of the Programme requirements.
THE UNITED NATIONS WILL PROVIDE PARTICIPANTS WITH THE FOLLOWING:
• Economy class tickets from their country to New York City, from New York to Geneva and from Geneva back to country of origin by the most direct route. Participants are required to arrive in New York by Monday, 3 September and depart from Geneva on Saturday, 6 October 2012.
• The daily stipend is adjusted every year to cover the cost of the hotel recommended by the Programme. From this sum, the participants must cover any other expenses that may be incurred in New York and in Geneva. All participants must provide proof of valid medical insurance while in the United States and Switzerland.
Once you have determined that you are interested in and qualified for the Programme, kindly complete the Application Form and English Proficiency Examination (available below) and submit them and other requested documents via e-mail to your country’s contact person as soon as possible.
PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
Forms that have not been completely filled out will not be considered. Please note: only the top twelve (12) candidates, one from each country, will be selected to participate in this year Programme.
CONTACT PERSONS
- Afghanistan, Mr. Michael Keating, Resident Coordinator, keating1@un.org
- Armenia, Ms. Maria Dotsenko, UN DPI Representative, Maria.dotsenko@unic.org
- Brazil, Ms. Valéria Schilling, National Information Officer, UNIC Rio, unic.brazil@unic.org or valeria.schilling@unic.org
- Brunei Darussalam, Ms. Anita Ahmad, Programme Manager, UNDP Malaysia, Anita.ahmad@undp.org
- Bulgaria, Ms. Maria Zlatareva-Pernishka, Resident Coordinator, maria.zlatareva@undp.org
- Burundi, Ms. Béatrice Nibogora, National Information Officer, UNIC Bujumbura, Beatrice.nibogora@unic.org
- Central African Republic, Mr. Michel Balima, Director, unic.yaounde@unic.org
- Equatorial Guinea, Mr. Leo Heileman, Resident Coordinator, leo.heileman@undp.org
- Eritrea, Dr. Mamadou Pethe Diallo, Resident Coordinator, dpi.er@undp.org
- Guinea-Bissau, Mr. Toussaint Kongo-Doudou, Director, unic.dakar@unic.org
- Iraq, Ms. Christine McNab, DSRSG/Resident Coordinator, mcnab1@un.org
- Kazakhstan, Mr. Vlastimil Samek, UN DPI Representative, kazakhstan@unic.org
- Liberia, Mr. Olufemi Majekodunmi, Public Information Section, UNMIL, olugbemi@un.org or olufemiun@yahoo.com
- Malawi, Ms. Kaniya Wignaraja, Director, unic.lusaka@unic.org
- Marshall Islands, Mr. Knut Ostby, Resident Coordinator, knut.ostby@undp.org
- Nicaragua, Mr. Pablo Mandeville, Resident Coordinator, pablo.mandeville@one.un.org
- Niger, Mr. Pascal Karorero, Director, unic.ouagadougou@unic.org
- Paraguay, Mr. Lorenzo Jiménez de Luis, Director and Resident Coordinator, unic.py@undp.org
- Poland, Ms. Mariola Ratschka, National Information Officer, Officer-in-Charge, mariola.ratschka@unic.org
- Qatar, Mr. Nejib Friji, Director, unic.manama@unic.org
- Saint Lucia, Ms. Catherine Gilbert, Officer-in-Charge, unic.portofspain@unic.org
- Saudi Arabia, Ms. Khawla Mattar, Director, info@unic-eg.org
- Turkmenistan, Mr. Lenni Montiel, Resident Coordinator, lenni.montiel@undp.org
- Yemen, Mr. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, Resident Coordinator, jens.toybergfrandzen@undp.org
SELECTION PROCESS
Each year the United Nations Department of Public Information pre-selects countries to participate in the fellowship programme. These countries are chosen on a rotating basis using the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ (DESA) classification of developing and transitional countries.
The appropriate UN field offices (UN Information Centres or UNICs, local offices of the UN Development Programme or UNDP, etc.) then assist DPI in identifying local qualified candidates, amongst which DPI selects one applicant per participating country.
THE CANDIDATES MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- Candidates must be nationals and reside in one of the countries invited each year to participate in the Programme.
- Candidates should be between the age of 22 and 35.
- Candidates should have several years of professional journalism (print/radio/tv/on-line) experience in a media organization. Freelancers and UN employees are not eligible.
- Candidates must be fluent in English. All briefings and workshops during the programme are conducted in English only. All candidates are required to successfully pass the written part of the English Proficiency Exam and a telephone interview.
- Candidates should prove past interest in the work of the United Nations and attach supporting documents (For example: newspaper article, video, youtube, a link to TV/Radio programme, etc.). General interest in international relations or future aspirations to cover the UN are not accepted.
APPLICATION FORMS
Only completed applications from qualified applicants will be considered. The single most qualified applicant from each country will be accepted to the Programme.
2012 Reham Al-Farra Fellowship Programme Application
English Proficiency Exam Form
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For enquiries: contact Zvi Muskal at muskal@un.org or call (917) 367 5142 (US)
For submissions: see the list of contact persons above
Website: http://www.un.org/en/media/fellowship/