By Kelechi Amakoh
The annual Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship is calling for applications from journalists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The deadline for the application is May 21.
The four weeks programme at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City is slated to hold from September 11–29, 2017. The Fellows will have the opportunity to cover the 72nd General Assembly.
The fellows will have an opportunity to observe the UN in action, interview senior officials and exchange ideas with colleagues from around the world.
To earn the fellowship which will cover the cost of roundtrip airfare to New York and provide a daily subsistence allowance, the fellow must be a fulltime journalists between the ages of 22 and 35 from countries with developing or transitioning economies.
Applicants must have several years of experience in radio, television,print or online news, a strong portfolio covering international affairs and fluency in English.
According to the fellowship’s website, “the programme is sponsored annually since 1981 by the United Nations Department of Public Information as a fellowship programme for junior and mid-level broadcasters and journalists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
“It also provides journalists with an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the work of the United Nations. It is also an opportunity to meet journalists from other countries and exchange ideas with UN communication professionals.”
For interested journalists seeking to apply, here are the following criteria:
Eligible candidates must:
• be under 35 years old
• be a fulltime working journalist
• be proficient in oral and written English
• possess a passport valid until at least April 2018
• be a national of a developing country or country in transition
The Programme was mandated in December 1980 by UN General Assembly Resolution 35/201 (paragraph III-9) and renamed in September 2003 “Reham Al Farra Memorial Journalists Fellowship Programme”. More than 550 journalists and broadcasters from 166 countries have taken part in the Programme.
