The objective of the United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship Programs is to provide opportunities for advanced education and research in the field of ocean affairs and the law of the sea, and related disciplines including marine science in support of management frameworks, to Government officials and other mid-level professionals from developing countries, so that they may obtain the necessary knowledge to assist their countries to formulate comprehensive ocean policy and to implement the legal regime set out in UNCLOS and related instruments.

The structure of the Program consists of two phases: a three-month training phase with OLA/DOALOS at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (from approximately mid-March to June), immediately followed by a six-month research and study phase with a host institution with demonstrated expertise in the Fellow’s field of research (from July to December).

Upon completion of the fellowship, fellows are expected to return to their home countries and use their in-depth knowledge and extended experience to assist in formulating comprehensive ocean policy and in implementing the legal regime set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and related instruments, including through designing, implementing and/or evaluating specific improvement projects.

Program Details

• Area: Marine sciences and the ocean science-policy linkage.
• Number of awards: 14.
• Duration: 1st phase of 3 months at United Nations Headquarters in New York (normally April through June) and 2nd phase of 6 months Advanced Academic Research and Study at one of the prestigious participating Host Institutions and under the guidance of subject matter expert(s) who have recognized in-depth expertise in the Fellows’ chosen field of study.
• Target group: Opened to nationals of developing coastal countries.

United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship Benefits

Selected candidates for this North America opportunity will receive the following benefits:

1. Fellows will be provided with a return air ticket in economy class for travels from their home country to the first host institution, from the first host institution to the second, and from the second host institution back to their home country.
2. Fellows will receive a stipend during their 9-month fellowship in accordance with the established United Nations rates for each host Country. These rates are updated regularly and available here.
3. In addition to the stipend, fellows will be provided with a Book Allowance of US$100 per month for phase two of the Fellowship ($600 altogether).
4. For the period of the Fellowship, medical coverage is provided by Cigna Health Insurance. Cigna offers 100% medical coverage for general medical and hospital treatments up to a certain limit. Specialized services are not covered.

Host Institutions of the UN Nippon Foundation Fellowship

Below is the list of universities and institutions taking part in the UNNF Fellowship Programme and generously providing their resources to host Fellows and provide a co-supervisor for Fellows’ research projects.

1. Ankara University Research Center of the Sea and Maritime Law
2. Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong (Wollongong, Australia)
3. Cardiff University, School of Law and Politics, (Cardiff, U.K.)
4. Centre de Droit Maritime et Océanique, Université de Nantes (Nantes, France)
5. Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), University of West Indies (Cave Hill Campus, Barbados)
6. Centre d’Etudes et de Récherches sur le Droit des Activités Maritimes et l’Environnement (CERDAME), Institut du Droit et de la Paix et du Développement, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis (Nice, France)
7. Coastal Resources Center, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
8. Columbia Law School, Columbia University (New York, USA)
9. Department of Public, Civil Procedure, International and European Law of the University of Milan (Milan, Italy)
10. Edinburgh Centre for International and Global Law, Edinburgh University (Edinburgh, U.K.)
11. Faculty of Law, The University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia)
12. Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy, University of Delaware (Newark, U.S.A.)
13. Graduate Program in Marine Affairs, Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island (Kingston, U.S.A.)
14. Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology – ZMT (Bremen, Germany)
15. Marine and Environmental Law Institute, Dalhousie University in partnership with the International Ocean Institute-Canada (Halifax, Canada)
16. Marine Affairs Programme, Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada) in partnership with the International Ocean Institute-Canada (Halifax, Canada)
17. Marine and Shipping Law Unit, University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia)
18. Marine Law and Policy Research Centre, Istanbul Bilgi University (Istanbul, Türkiye)
19. Maritime Institute, University of Ghent (Ghent, Belgium)
20. Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, (Heidelberg, Germany)
21. Melbourne University Law School (Victoria, Australia)
22. National Oceanography Centre (NERC), (Southampton, U.K.)
23. Nelson Mandela University South African Research Chair in the Law of the Sea and Development in Africa, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
24. Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea, Utrecht University School of Law (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
25. NOVA University, School of Law, (Lisbon, Portugal)
26. Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Canada)
27. Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SELG), University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland)
28. Sydney Law School, University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia)
29. School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston (Boston, U.S.A.)
30. Tulane Maritime Law Center, Tulane University (New Orleans, U.S.A.)
31. University of Milano Bicocca (Milano, Italy) : Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza and Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ambiente e della Terra “Marine Sciences Programme
32. University of Tromso (Tromso, Norway)
33. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Woods Hole, MA, )
34. World Maritime University (Malmo, Sweden) and Global Ocean Institute (Malmo, Sweden).

United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship Eligibility

Candidates wishing to be considered for this Organisation Fellowship award must ensure that they meet all the following criteria:

• be between the ages of 25 and 40;
• have successfully completed a first university degree, and demonstrate a capacity to undertake independent advanced academic research and study;
• be a mid-level professional from a national government organ of a developing State, or another governmental or non-governmental agency in such a State, which deals directly with ocean affairs issues, and your professional position must allow you to directly assist your nation in the formulation and/or implementation of policy in this area. This includes marine sciences and the science-policy linkage. Your “Nomination and Recommendation Form” should be completed by a Government official or other official who can attest to the nature of your work with respect to the Government’s ocean affairs and the law of sea-related activities, and indicate how an Award would directly contribute to these activities;
• your proposed research and study program must contribute directly to your nation’s formulation and/or implementation of ocean affairs and the law of the sea policies and programs; and
• you must be free of all non-Fellowship obligations during the entire Fellowship period unless otherwise authorized by the Division.

Similar opportunities

1. Douglas College Scholarships for International Students;
2. Heinrich Böll Foundation scholarships in Germany;
3. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships.

How to Apply for the United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellowship

To apply for this foundation fellowship program, candidates must follow the steps below:

1. To apply, please click here to download the form and fill in all the fields electronically. Kindly use the Sentence case for filling in the data (e.g. John Smith), do not use all capital letters to write your answers (e.g. JOHN SMITH). Apply your electronic or handwritten signature and use the “Save” option to save your changes. Kindly return the form as a word or pdf document.
2. Each question must be answered clearly and completely in order to ensure that the application will be processed. While completing this form, candidates should pay particular attention to sections 18, 19 and 20. If necessary, candidates may attach no more than one additional page of the same size.
3. The Application form consists of two documents: 1. The “Personal History and Proposed Research/Study Programme Form”, and 2. The “Nomination and Recommendation Form”. Both forms must be signed, the first one by the applicant, the second one by the by the official nominating entity. The forms may be returned in either word or pdf format.
4. Once both the “Nomination and Recommendation Form” and the “Personal History and Proposed Research/Study Programme Form” are completed and signed, please email them directly to DOALOS at [email protected].

The deadline to submit applications is September 8, 2023. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. For more information on this United Nations Fellowship, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.