The Fellowship Programme
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

The Fellowship Programme is sponsored by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA)
The aim of the programme is to support development cooperation initiatives in developing countries through the placement of a selected number of Italian Fellows under the age of 28 in technical cooperation offices and organizations of the UN System.
The Fellowship Programme started as a pilot project for a group of 12 fellows in 1999, and the number increased to 35 and 40 participants in the following years. In addition, the duration of the fellowship was extended from ten to twelve months.

The Fellowship Programme has two main objectives:

• The long-term goal is to enhance the effectiveness of development aid in selected developing countries
• The short-term purpose is to provide young professionals with on-the-job training in developing cooperation activities. At the same time Fellows assist local counterparts in project development matters and in particular, in the procedures related to the preparation, submission and implementation of technical cooperation projects and programmes.

The UN/DESA Office in Rome, carries out the support activities i.e. circulation of information, collection and pre-selection of applications and candidates' interviews. The UN/DESA Office in New York is in charge of the final selection and the implementation of the entire programme.