• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

+1-929-274-6217

contactaoc@unops.org

How to Get Involved

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

Many cultures. One humanity.

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Who We Are
        • About Us
          • About the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
          • Trust Fund and Donors
          • UNAOC Secretariat
          • Vacancy Announcements and Opportunities
        • History
          • History
          • Timeline
          • High Level Group
        • Governance and Leadership
          • Governance and Leadership
          • High Representative
          • High Representative's Statements
          • Previous Leadership
          • Group of Friends
  • What We Do
        • What We Do
          • Programming Overview: Platform for intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation
          • UNAOC News Flash: Read the Latest Updates
        • What We Do
          • United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Annual Activity Reports
          • UNAOC Upcoming Events Calendar
        • Projects and Initiatives
          • An overview of UNAOC's ongoing projects and initiatives
          • How to Get Involved
  • Projects
        • Projects and Initiatives
          • Intercultural Innovation Hub
          • UNAOC Fellowship Program
          • PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival
          • Youth Solidarity Fund
          • Young Peacebuilders
          • Summer Schools
          • Hate Speech International Conference
          • Media and Information Literacy Clearinghouse
          • PeaceApp
          • Media & Information Literacy for Teachers
          • Intercultural Leaders
        • Projects and Initiatives
          • EDIN – “Empowering Dialogue and Interfaith Networks”
          • 'Sport for One Humanity' Initiative
          • Promoting the Role of Women as Peacemakers
          • News Generation Against Hate: Empowering local youth to create alternative narratives and champion diversity in the media
          • #YouthWagingPeace: A Whole Community Approach to Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education
          • Digital Games for Peace: Intercultural dialogue and socio-emotional competencies for peacebuilding
        • Campaigns
          • UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites
          • Call to Action #forSafeWorship
          • #OneHumanity Campaign
  • Resources
    • All Resources and Publications
    • UNAOC Action Plan (2019-2023)
    • UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites
    • Guiding Documents
    • Implementation Plans
    • Group of Friends Meeting Reports
    • Annual Activity Reports
    • Financial Reports and Audited Financial Statements
    • Publications
  • Global Forums
    • Fez 2022
      • Fez Forum Website
    • 8th Global Forum
      • 8th UNAOC Global Forum Website
      • 8th Global Forum Report
    • Baku 2016
      • Baku Forum Website
      • Baku Forum Report
    • Bali 2014
      • Bali Forum
    • Vienna 2013
      • Vienna Forum
      • Vienna Forum Documents
    • Doha 2011
      • Doha Forum
    • Rio 2010
      • Rio Forum
    • Istanbul 2009
      • Istanbul Forum
      • Outcomes & Reports from Istanbul Forum
      • Marketplace of Ideas at the Istanbul Forum
      • Istanbul Forum Documents
    • Madrid 2008
      • Madrid Forum
      • Outcomes & Reports from Madrid Forum
      • Speeches & Statements
  • News
        • News and Updates
          • UNAOC News Flash
          • News, Features and Press Releases
          • In Focus (Programming Newsletter)
          • Newsletter Archives
        • High Representative
          • High Representative's Statements
          • UNAOC Press Statements
          • High Representative's Blog
        • Multimedia
          • UNAOC Video Gallery
          • Join the Global Call to Action #forSafeWorship
          • Stories of #OneHumanity
  • Contact

The UNAOC Fellowship Programme

You are here: Home / What We Do / Trainings and Exchanges / The UNAOC Fellowship Programme

Objectives

The UNAOC Fellowship Program aims at fostering intercultural exchange and interfaith understanding by engaging with emerging leaders and young professionals from Europe, North-America (EUNA), the Middle East and North-Africa (MENA). Framed around two-week exchange trips between EUNA and MENA countries, the Program sends participants from each geographic area to their counterparts’ region.

The Fellowship provides participants with a first hand exposure to diversity and with the opportunity to experience cultural immersion while interacting with a wide range of local actors and partners. In every country visited, participants are being provided with crucial comprehension tools to help them understand the plurality and the complexity of their surroundings, and to get an extensive grasp of their host country’s culture, politics, society, religion, media and more. The main objective of the Program is to involve Fellows into intercultural cooperation and encourage them to engage in broader and deeper discussions on cultural sensitivity. By exposing participants to new ideas and perspectives, and by immersing them into culturally diverse and unfamiliar environments, the Fellowship Program aims at challenging perceptions and deconstructing stereotypes. Building on that, participants become then better equipped to position themselves as informed stakeholders and to develop cross-cultural partnerships while bridging divides between peoples from different faiths and cultures.

In 2015, besides addressing issues related to intercultural dialogue, activities and discussions of the Fellowship Program were built around a sub-theme: “Migration and Integration” for MENA participants traveling to EUNA countries, and “Youth Development” for their EUNA counterparts traveling to the MENA region. Both themes were chosen according to UNAOC objectives and plan of action with the goal to ensure a concrete impact on the ground and to encourage intercultural collaboration between Fellows and actors met during their trip. It also framed the selection process, and both cohorts were composed by young professionals and experts deeply involved in either Youth or Migration. Both topics were, and remain, global problematic at the center of current events: in EUNA countries, Migration issues have become a focus of attention in media and political debates; in the MENA region, the field of Youth Development is becoming more relevant everyday.

In 2015 – and for the first time since the launch of the Fellowship Program in 2010 – the two cohorts have had the opportunity to meet and interact with one another for four days in Sarajevo. The experience was unanimously described by the Fellows as extremely beneficial.


The Selection Process

Participants are selected for their potential in shaping opinion and taking strong initiatives within their community. In their applications, candidates have to demonstrate a strong interest – backed by concrete ideas – to engage with peers and partners from the countries they are going to visit, and propose positive and innovative models of intercultural cooperation and networking.

Candidates also have to demonstrate a strong interest in learning from and engaging with the cultural diversity of the societies they are going to discover. They have to show a level of professional accomplishment and personal involvement in intercultural dialogue and in the theme chosen by UNAOC, through governmental position, politics, civil society, media, community/faith based associations and initiatives, academia, think-tanks, arts, and any other fields relevant to the objectives of the Fellowship Program.

Applicants have to meet two eligibility criteria in order to apply. They have to be nationals of EUNA or MENA countries and be between 25 and 38 years old. While selecting Fellows, the jury makes sure that each cohort is gender balanced, region balanced – with a ratio of participant per country of origin – and professionally balanced.

The Call for Applications is usually advertised on UNAOC website and social media accounts.


The UNAOC Fellowship Alumni Network

Since its creation in 2010, 14 cohorts have traveled with the Fellowship Program across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and the U.S.

fellowship-alumni-network

Today, a total of 160 emerging leaders and young experts have joined the Fellowship Alumni network after completion of the Program. They come from 39 different countries: Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, U.K., Ukraine, U.S.A., and Yemen.

From grassroots organizations to official institutions, UNAOC Fellowship Alumni are professionally involved across the world in a wide spectrum of activities such as: arts, civil society, conflict-resolution, counter-terrorism, culture, education, global-health, governance, human rights, international law, migration, media, new technologies, peace building, sustainable development, sports, women empowerment, youth empowerment, and more. The network is gender balanced, with 81 female participants (40 from MENA and 41 from EUNA) and 79 male participants (38 from MENA and 41 from EUNA).

Spread over the five continents, UNAOC Fellowship Alumni are working together, both as individuals and as a network, on using their resources and expertise to develop cross-cultural collaborations in order to take part in the global effort to fight radicalization and xenophobia, and help promote a narrative of tolerance and inclusion.

Share this

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)

Primary Sidebar

If you wish to receive updates about UNAOC's advocacy and programming activities, please sign up using the form below:


UNAOC Press Room

  • High Representative’s Remarks at the OIC 49th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers March 16, 2023
  • Remarks by the UNAOC Chief of Cabinet at the SOAR Project Final Policy Dialogue Meeting March 14, 2023
  • UNAOC High Representative’s Remarks at the Special Event Commemorating the International Day to Combat Islamophobia March 10, 2023
  • Remarks by the High Representative at the X Gobal Baku Forum: “The World of Today: Challenges and Hopes” March 9, 2023
  • High Representative’s Remarks at the UNOCT Quarterly Briefing to Member States February 28, 2023
Get Involved

UNAOC is the premier global platform for intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation. Learn how you can support UNAOC.

Support UNAOC

Footer

UNAOC News Flash

For the latest news from the United Nations Alliances of Civilizations, browse through the recent editions of our our monthly newsletter.


Programming Newsletter

To view the latest edition of “UNAOC In Focus”, our programming-focused newsletter, click here to browse through our archives.


UNAOC on Twitter

  • RT @nsaad777: Participated in the 49th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OI… https://t.co/p0beADY6Vz
  • RT @NizamiGanjaviIC: #XGBF #XGlobalBakuForum brought together 400 international participants from 61 countries. Among them 7 current hea… https://t.co/BZf2PM69UZ
  • RT @nsaad777: The High Representative @unaoc @miguelmoratinos tells #OIC the persistent manifestations of hatred, discrimination,… https://t.co/6lfyMHmS1U
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 UNITED NATIONS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS | 730 THIRD AVENUE, 20TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10017 | PRIVACY | TERMS | Return to top