UNAOC is pleased to announce that twelve participants from Europe and North America (EUNA) and twelve participants from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been selected to participate in its Fellowship Programme.
EUNA Fellows will travel to Morocco, Egypt and Qatar from 26 June to 10 July 2019 and MENA Fellows will travel to the United States, Germany, and Spain from 13 to 27 October 2019. During their respective trips, in addition to addressing issues related to Intercultural Dialogue, both cohorts will also take part in activities and discussions focusing on a theme: “The role of women in peacemaking and conflict prevention”. This theme has been chosen in line with UNAOC mandate and priorities as well as the UN global agenda. The choice of the theme has also framed the selection process and participants from both groups are all involved professionally in the field of gender, peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
The goal of the Fellowship Programme is to foster intercultural understanding by engaging with young civil society leaders from Europe, North America, the Middle East and North Africa. Organized around two-week exchange trips, the Programme sends participants from each geographic area to their counterparts’ region. In every country visited, Fellows are provided with crucial comprehension tools to help them understand the plurality and the complexity of their surroundings, and to get an extensive grasp of their host country’s culture, politics, society, religion, media and more. By immersing participants into culturally diverse environments, the Fellowship aims at challenging perceptions and deconstructing stereotypes. Building on that, participants become better equipped to position themselves as informed stakeholders and develop cross-cultural partnerships while bridging divides between peoples from different faiths and cultures.