The Alliance of Civilizations along with several partners have signed an agreement to officially launch a new Fellowship program to begin in early 2010. The agreement was signed in New York on September 26, 2009 by Craig Kennedy (President, German Marshall Fund of the United States), Mike Hardy (Programme Leader – Intercultural Dialogue, British Council), Dr. Ahmed Said Ould Bah (Head of the Cabinet of the Director General, ISESCO), President Jorge Sampaio (UN High Representative, Alliance of Civilizations), and Hesham Youssef (Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States).The program will initiate an exchange of emerging and influential young leaders between North America/Europe and Muslim-majority countries for the purpose of building awareness, respect, and connections across cultures.
A group of 12 to 15 candidates will gain real-world exposure to the media, culture, politics, civil society, and religion of several countries in the other region during the course of their 15-day visit. During the inaugural phase of the program, emerging leaders from Muslim countries will visit countries in Europe and the United States; while leaders from North America/Europe are expected to visit one country in the Mashreq, one country in the Maghreb, and one country in the Gulf. An alumni network of Fellowship candidates will then be setup upon completion of the trip to share observations, perspectives, and insights on the experience and ways to improve cultural relations between the countries.
For more information on the program, please contact Jean-Christophe Bas at jeancb@unops.org.