The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists

UNITED NATIONS – Journalists from Nepal, Peru, South Africa and Togo have been selected as 2010 Fellows by the board of the Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund to come to New York this autumn to cover the 65th U.N. General Assembly annual debate. The four were chosen from among nearly 200 print, radio and television journalists who applied from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Each year, the Dag Hammarskjöld Fund selects four mid-career journalists from the developing world to travel to New York for eight weeks to cover the annual debate and to immerse in deliberations and decisions of the various U.N. agencies, funds and programs. As news budgets shrink and reporting restrictions are expanded, programs like the Dag Hammarskjöld fellowship bring additional international press coverage -- and scrutiny -- to the world body.

"These four young journalists come from very different cultures, but each has brought to his or her work a passion for accountability, a practical understanding of governance and development, and a keen talent for storytelling," said Dag Hammarskjöld Fund Chair Evelyn Leopold. "We know each one will learn so much at the United Nations this autumn, and will bring that knowledge home to share with colleagues, not to mention their readers and audiences."

The recipients of 2010 Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellowships are:

Mahesh Acharya, 27, a radio journalist from Nepal, has covered myriad U.N. activities to build peace, promote democracy, deliver humanitarian assistance and stimulate development in his country.

He is the coordinator for foreign news at Radio Kantipur, where he also runs the evening news shift. Mr. Mahesh hosts talk shows dealing with political and social issues, and co-edits the station's new website. The privately-owned station reaches 18 million listeners in 62 of Nepal's 75 districts.

Daouda Nadietou Zibilila, 27, is a reporter for the weekly newspaper Le Canard Independent, where she writes about social, health and development issues, as well as investigations and news analysis. The sole woman on staff, Ms. Zibilila has a reputation among her editors as a ferociously determined reporter.

While at the United Nations she wants to focus on the unique problems facing women in the developing world, such as violence, prostitution, genital cutting, and HIV. Ms. Zibilila applied for the fellowship, she says, both to share her experiences in Togo, and to learn from other reporters.

Melini Moses, 30, is an award-winning senior reporter for the 19-station SABC radio network. From her Johannesburg base, Ms. Moses writes news bulletins and packages, specializing in investigative reporting. A freelance new anchor, she also compiles stories for the South African Broadcast Co.'s podcast "This Life."

Fluent in English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Ms. Moses has investigated fraud in affordable-housing programs, questioned the role of the government's Commission for Gender Equality, and profiled a victim of marital rape. Her enthusiasm and commitment has earned her the respect of her peers and editors. Ms. Moses has twice been named Vodacom "Journalist of the Year."

When she returns home, Ms. Moses expects to use her new skills and contacts to train and empower other South African journalists.

Débora Dongo-Soria S., 26, is a political reporter at El Comercio, the oldest and one of the most respected newspapers in Peru. Ms. Dongo-Soria S. focuses on democracy building and elections, and has interviewed Peruvian and foreign politicians. She also oversees the newspaper's monthly poll on Peru's political situation. She will soon participate in a week-long seminar with European and American journalists to discuss the role of a free press in a democracy.

She writes in Spanish, but is fluent in English, French, Italian and German. Ms. Dongo-Soria S. looks forward to covering the United Nations, where she plans to focus on topics such as post-conflict peace building, disarmament and strengthening government.

The Fund was created in 1961, in memory of third U.N. secretary general Dag Hammarkskjöld of Sweden. The first fellowship was awarded in 1962 and, in the decades since, hundreds of journalists from more than 75 developing nations have benefited from the program. The 49-year-old Fund is a not-for-profit organization funded by contributions from U.N. missions, foundations, corporations, individuals and other private sources. Journalists based at the United Nations volunteer their time to select the fellowship recipients and to mentor them during the fellowship.

The Fund has become increasingly important in recent years as fewer and fewer news organizations can afford to maintain reporters at the United Nations. The fellows write about development, human rights, global health, peacekeeping and other U.N. themes, without any restrictions imposed on their work.

Inquiries can be sent via email to info2@unjournalismfellowship.org.