UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Minorities Fellowship Programme 2020

Through the Minorities Fellowship Programme, the OHCHR aims to give persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities an opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with international human rights in general and minority rights in particular. The Minorities Fellowship Programme is intended to assist organizations and communities in protecting and promoting the rights of minorities the fellows belong to.

Application Deadline: 28th February 2020.

Eligible Countries: Countries with citizens from a minority group

To Be Taken At (Country): Geneva, Switzerland

About the Award: The Minorities Fellowship Programme (MFP) was launched by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2005.

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The MFP is held annually. The English language programme has been running since 2005 and the Arabic language programme started in 2007 until 2014. The Arabic language component began as a two-week pilot and gradually expanded to five weeks in 2011. The duration of the programmes varied until 2011, when both programmes were decided to last 5 weeks and coincide with the session of the Forum on Minority Issues. In 2014 the Minorities Fellowship Programme acquired a Russian language component, to be fully synchronized with the other two linguistic components.

The Fellows are based at the OHCHR Geneva, Switzerland. The MFP is interactive and consists of briefings on several topics (e.g. the UN system, OHCHR work, human rights mechanisms and instruments), fellows also undertake individual and group assignments.

At the end of the MFP, the fellows should have a general knowledge of the United Nations system, international human rights instruments and mechanisms in general and those relevant to minorities in particular and be capable of further training their communities/organizations. The Programme furthermore serves as an opportunity for human rights activists working towards the protection and promotion of minority rights to expand their partners’ base by building a strategic dialogue with fellow activists from across the globe, the United Nations, relevant Geneva-based NGOs, amongst other partners.

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility: The candidate must belong to a national, ethnic, linguistic or religious minority group (persons who do not belong to a minority group will not be taken into consideration, even if they have close links with minority communities and/or organizations).

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: Fellows are entitled to the following: a return ticket (economy class) from the country of residence to Geneva; basic health insurance for the duration of the Programme; a stipend to cover modest accommodation and other living expenses for the duration of the Programme.

How to Apply: 

• Fellowship application forms can be downloaded from the following link: English | Russian | Arabic
• Both parts I and II of the application form must be filled in and signed. In addition, application forms need to be accompanied by an official recommendation letter from the nominating organization or community. Fellowship applications will only be taken into consideration if they are fully completed.
• Interested candidates should submit their application indicating ” Application to the 2020 Minorities Fellowship Programme” as subject either by e-mail* to [email protected], copy to:[email protected] or by post to:

Mr. Morse Caoagas Flores
Coordinator, Indigenous & Minorities Fellowship Programmes
Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
48, Avenue Giuseppe-Motta, Office 2-05
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

* E-mailed applications must be signed, scanned and submitted as a single PDF file.

Any questions pertaining to the Minorities Fellowship Programme can be directed to the addresses mentioned above.

Visit Programme Webpage for Details

Award Providers: OHCHR

Important Notes: Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be considered.