Applications are now open for the 2025 UN OHCHR Minorities Fellowship Program, a unique opportunity for human rights defenders from national, ethnic, linguistic, and religious minority groups. Launched in 2005, this program is OHCHR’s most comprehensive training initiative aimed at empowering human rights activists to effectively advocate for minority rights. By the end of the program, fellows will gain a robust understanding of theUnited Nations system, international human rights instruments, and mechanisms, with a specific focus on the rights of minority communities. The fellowship also serves as an invaluable opportunity for global human rights defenders to broaden their networks by building strategic partnerships with activists from around the world, the United Nations, and relevant Geneva-based NGOs.
Benefits: The programme is offered in three languages: English, Russian, and Arabic, and takes place in Geneva, Switzerland. Fellows are entitled to a return economy class ticket from their country of residence to Geneva, basic health insurance for the duration of the programme, and a stipend to cover modest accommodation and living expenses, ensuring that they can focus on their human rights education without financial burdens.
The candidate must belong to a national, ethnic, linguistic, or religious minority group (those not belonging to a minority group will not be considered, even if they have close ties with minority communities or organizations).
Note: If your community identifies as indigenous, please apply to our Indigenous Fellowship Programmeinstead, as it is a separate initiative with different application forms and deadlines.
Formal education should not limit participation in the Minorities Fellowship Programme, provided relevant experience can be demonstrated.
Candidates should have the ability, willingness, and opportunity to train others belonging to minorities upon returning to their communities or organizations and must agree to do so.
Candidates must have good working knowledge of the language in which the programme is imparted.
The candidate should be proposed—and his/her candidacy supported—by their organization and/or community. It is desirable that the sponsoring organization:
has a firm constituency or membership in the minority;
is representative of minority issues;
undertakes work on minority issues; and
is composed of persons belonging to minorities.
The overall goal of the Minorities Fellowship Programme is to offer persons belonging to minorities the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in the field of international human rights in order to assist their organizations and communities in protecting and promoting human and minority rights. Therefore, it is vital that the candidate proposed and nominated by a minority organization or community is someone who will return to their NGO to work in this field.
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