Call for applications for the 2024 session - United Nations - The Nippon Foundation Fellowship Programme

The Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations (“OLA/DOALOS”), is now accepting applications for the 2024 session of the United Nations - The Nippon Foundation Fellowship Programme.

The objective of the United Nations – The Nippon Foundation Fellowship is to provide funded opportunities for advanced training in the field of ocean affairs and the law of the sea, or related disciplines including marine science in support of management frameworks, to mid-level Government officials and other mid-level professionals from developing States so that they may obtain the necessary skills to assist their countries in the implementation of the legal framework set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and related instruments, as well as to formulate comprehensive ocean management regimes, including within the context of the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The structure of the Programme consists of two phases: a three-month training phase with OLA/DOALOS at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (from approximately mid-March to June 2024), immediately followed by a six-month research and study phase with a host institution with demonstrated expertise in the Fellow’s field of research (from July to December 2024).

To qualify, candidates must:

• Be between the ages of 25 and 40

• Possess at least a first university degree or equivalent

• Demonstrate an ability to undertake advanced academic research and studies

• Be from a developing State

• Be a mid-level government official or mid-level professional dealing directly with ocean affairs and/or the law of the sea such as, but not limited to, the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, including the establishment of maritime zones and the delimitation of maritime boundaries, sustainable development of oceans and seas, including the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, national and/or regional ocean policy, coastal zone management, conservation and management of marine living resources, maritime transport and shipping, maritime security, and the protection and preservation of the marine environment, including marine science.

Since 2004, the United Nations-Nippon Foundation Fellowship Programme has successfully trained approximately 200 individuals. It is intended that 14 Fellowships will be offered for the 2024 session.

Additional information on the United Nations – The Nippon Foundation Fellowship Programme is available on the Fellowship website https://www.un.org/oceancapacity/UNNF.

The Fellowship website includes a detailed outline of the requisite qualifications, the application package, and further details on the Fellowship Programme, including fellowship conditions and financial support. Candidates must complete the application package available by using the “APPLY NOW” button (https://www.un.org/oceancapacity/content/apply-now), including by:

• Filling the required application forms; and

• Transmitting the required documents to the following email address: doalos@un.org.

The deadline for submitting the complete application package is 8 September 2023. Applicants should familiarize with the eligibility requirements and exclusively use the application forms made available on the website to apply for the Programme. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Awards will be communicated individually to successful candidates only and then posted on the Fellowship website in December 2023. Awardees will begin the Programmes around mid-March 2024. While it is expected that the programme will be delivered in person, the final modalities of implementation is yet to be determined depending on the situation related to the global COVID-19 pandemic.