The United Nations (UN) is now inviting applications from young journalists between the ages of 22 and 35 years for the Reham Al-Farra (RAF) Memorial Journalism Fellowship, which gives a unique opportunity for young working journalists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition to cover the UN.
The Fellowship which is hosted every autumn at UN Headquarters, brings a select group of journalists to New York to cover the opening of the General Assembly for their news outlets.
Since its founding in 1981, the Fellowship has been awarded to 652 journalists from 168 countries. Upon completion of the programme, fellows are expected to continue working in journalism and promote better understanding of the United Nations in their home countries. The programme does not provide any skills training, as all fellows are working journalists.
During the three-week programme, Fellows are given an opportunity to attend special briefings, interview senior officials and exchange ideas with colleagues from around the world.
In previous years, RAF Fellows have met with the UN Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, President of the General Assembly and Permanent Representatives to the United Nations. The programme also arranges visits to various news organizations, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and ProPublica.
The Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship was mandated in December 1980 by UN General Assembly Resolution 35/201. Formerly known as the DPI Training Programme for Broadcasters and Journalists from Developing Countries, the programme was renamed in 2003 in honour of Reham Al-Farra, a 29-year-old Jordanian public information officer who was killed in the August 19, 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.
Applications should be submitted on or before March 15, 2024, interested applicants should please visit https://www.un.org/en/raf/application2024 to apply.
