Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellowships

The Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists accepts applications from career print, television, radio or internet journalists mainly from the nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania to cover deliberations of the United Nations General Assembly (see https://www.un.org/en/ga/) for approximately 10-12 weeks beginning in September each year. Applicants should have a compelling interest in international affairs and the work of the United Nations (U.N.) and its member agencies.  Both full-time and freelance journalists are invited to apply.

Journalists selected for the program will deepen their understanding of the work of the U.N. through first-hand observation of working sessions, press conferences, and interviews, thus enabling in-depth reporting on issues relevant to their audiences.  They will interact with media colleagues from around the world and learn about the challenges which journalism faces in other countries.

Fund board members and other U.N. journalists are available to guide the Hammarskjöld Fellows in accessing the resources needed to prepare their reports.  As schedules permit, arrangements will be made for the Fellows to visit with New York area media organizations, as well as institutions working to encourage and protect the journalism profession.

Over the past six decades, Hammarskjöld Fellowships have been awarded to hundreds of journalists. The fellowship should be regarded as an opportunity for news organizations and journalists to provide their audiences with special assignment news coverage from U.N. headquarters.

The 2024 Fellowship will run concurrently with the opening months of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA).  The 79th UNGA will open on September 10th with high–level General Debates starting on September 24th.  Fellowship recipients will arrive in New York approximately 10 days prior to the UNGA in order to obtain UN Press passes, acclimate to the U.N. Secretariat and the city, and complete other administrative tasks.

ELIGIBILITY

    • Career journalists, age 25-35, from nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania are eligible to apply.  Freelance journalists are also eligible (see Freelance Requirements below).
    • Applicant journalists must have a current passport which will be required to apply for and obtain a I-1 journalist visa from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in order to accept the Fellowship.
    • Work samples no earlier than 2023 must be provided.  (See Work Samples on Application Form)
    • Applicants must be employed by bona fide media organizations such as print, television, radio or web journalists.
    • Speaking English with proficiency is required since it is one of the primary languages used at the United Nations.
    • Journalists younger than 25 and older than 35 are not eligible to apply since the program is intended for mid-career journalists.
    • Students of journalism are not eligible to apply.
    • Journalists residing in European countries are not eligible to apply unless they are still reporting to audiences in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania.

FREELANCE JOURNALISTS

Freelance journalists who satisfy all other requirements are eligible to apply.  In addition to providing work samples, a summary statement, passport copy and references from colleagues or former supervisors, freelance journalists must provide letters from at least three (3) publications stating that they will accept the reports filed from the United Nations. (See Application Form for more details.)

REQUIREMENTS

1. A completed online Application Form.

2. A minimum of three (3) work samples published no earlier than 2023. If the samples are not in English, a summary of the samples in English must be included.  If applicant reports are available on the Internet, the URL addresses should be included. If work samples are not available on the internet, copies should be uploaded to the Application Form (in Word, PDF, MP3 or JPEG formats). If not available on a media website, work samples may be uploaded to a publicly accessible online service, such as YouTube.

3. Letter of endorsement from the editor or director of the news organization that presently employs the journalist which: a) grants journalist a paid leave of absence from his/her current duties if awarded a fellowship; b) agrees to publish or broadcast the reports filed by the journalist from the U.N.; and c) provides contact information (email, phone, etc.) for verification purposes. By endorsing the application, the editor pledges to pay for all transmission charges and to publish or broadcast submitted reports.

4. A statement (not more than 500 words) expressing a desire for the Fellowship how the experience will benefit the applicant’s understanding of international diplomacy and issues deliberated at the United Nations.

5. A copy of applicant’s current passport. Applicants without a current passport will not be considered.

 

“I-1” JOURNALIST VISA

If selected to receive a Fellowship, each journalist must have a current passport in order to obtain a U.S. “I-1” Visa (for journalists) from the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.  A U.S. “I-1” Visa is required to obtain a U.N. Press Pass.  A tourist or business visa will not be accepted by the U.N.  The Fund will provide an Award Letter to selected recipients to facilitate the process of obtaining the Visa.

EQUIPMENT

Selected journalists and/or their employers are required to provide equipment necessary to effectively report from the U.N. such as a laptop or notebook computer enabled for WIFI, digital camera (if appropriate), tape recorder, audio/visual recording and other equipment required for transmitting reports.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Completed online applications, including required documentation uploads, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on April 05, 2024.

In preparing your application, be sure to complete all required fields (marked by *) and observe all instructions regarding maximum word counts and document upload requirements (PDF, Word, JPEG or MP3 formats). Incomplete Applications will not be accepted.

All application materials must be submitted in English or, where indicated, with an English translation. Applications that are in progress but have not been submitted by this deadline will not be considered.

Please email your questions to fellowship2024@unjournalismfellowship.org

FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION