Launching this fall, the program is a cooperative of several partners.
Left to right: Jean-Christophe Bas (Strategic Partnership Manager, Alliance of Civilizations), Neil Sumilas (Director, Alumni Networks, German Marshall Fund of the United States), Marc Scheuer (Director, Alliance of Civilizations), Martin Rose (Director, Counterpoint, British Council), and Gordon Slaven (Counselor, Cultural Relations, United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations).
The Alliance of Civilizations, in cooperation with the German Marshall Fund of the United States, The British Council, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), and the League of Arab States, will be launching a new Fellowship Program this fall.
The program will initiate an exchange of emerging and influential young leaders between North America/Europe and Muslim-majority countries for the purpose of building awareness, respect, and connections across cultures.
A group of 12 to 15 candidates will gain real-world exposure to the media, culture, politics, civil society, and religion of several countries in the other region during the course of their 15-day visit. During the inaugural phase of the program, emerging leaders from Muslim countries will visit countries in Europe and the United States; while leaders from North America/Europe are expected to visit one country in the Mashreq, one country in the Maghreb, and one country in the Gulf. An alumni network of Fellowship candidates will then be setup upon completion of the trip to share observations, perspectives, and insights on the experience and ways to improve cultural relations between the countries.
The first visits are due to take place in early 2010. The partners have met in New York on Friday, July 17th, to discuss the modalities of the program, the selection criteria, countries likely to be visited, profiles of participants, and the format of the program. The German Marshall Fund of the United States, which has a long and respected experience in organizing the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, will be serving as operational partner for the AOC Fellowship. For more information on the program, please contact Jean-Christophe Bas at jeancb@unops.org.