CFAs: UNNF Ocean Governance Fellowship for SIDS

The fellowship also aims to increase the capacity of SIDS Government officials to effectively implement ocean governance and international legal frameworks.

Purpose

• Through the targeted building of human capacity and a highly customized curriculum, the Ocean Governance Fellowship for SIDS endeavors to support the development of ocean governance frameworks necessary to:
  • effectively implement the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and related instruments, including the BBNJ Agreement;
  • tackle the triple planetary crisis (climate change; biodiversity loss; and pollution); and
  • implement the SDGs, especially SDG 14, with a focus on developing sustainable blue economies, addressing environmental impacts (particularly the devastating impacts of ocean plastic), building resilience to climate change, and giving consideration to gender aspects.

Modules

• The special circumstances of SIDS in ocean affairs, including challenges, needs and opportunities across regions.
• The role of the United Nations in ocean affairs and the law of the sea.
• The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): Maritime zones and jurisdiction.
• Ocean governance and sustainable development in the context of SIDS, including SDGs and SIDS Programmes of Action and/or Strategies.
• UNCLOS framework for ocean-based activities, including a SIDS perspective.
• The human dimension of the law of the sea, including gender considerations, from a SIDS perspective.
• The protection and preservation of the marine environment, with a focus on plastic pollution and its impacts in SIDS.
• Regimes interaction between UNCLOS and relevant MEAs, and other related instruments, including regional frameworks.
• Biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, including the special circumstances of SIDS.
• Climate change and the ocean, including a focus on SIDS vulnerabilities.
• Ocean management, including ABMTs and MSP, with SIDS case studies.
• Science/knowledge-policy interface, including the importance of traditional and local communities’ knowledge.
• Dispute settlement.

Program Specifications

• A highly customized curriculum is developed by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, based on the specific national and/or regional challenges and opportunities linked to the special circumstances of SIDS, as outlined in the successful applications and supported by the nominating authorities. Substantive activities include in-person training sessions, group discussions and workshops delivered by United Nations staff and visiting experts in the field. These activities will be complemented by practical group exercises, scenario-based discussions and other assignments.
• In pursuit of the objectives of the Fellowship, Fellows will also have the opportunity to observe intergovernmental meetings and other multilateral processes at United Nations Headquarters.
• Fellows will also engage in professional skills development activities, such as multilateral negotiation, through theory lectures and practical exercises led by both UN staff and external professionals.

Role and Responsibilities

• Fellows undertake the responsibility of submitting periodic assignments, including a final research paper. Failure to complete and submit assignments in a timely manner will result in the non-issuance of a Fellowship Completion Certificate, and relevant nominating authorities and Governments will be formally notified.
• DOALOS reserves the right to modify the Fellowship Reporting Requirements at any time. Fellows are advised to follow instructions provided during sessions, regularly check the Fellowship website, and ensure to monitor their UN email accounts and Fellowship folders for important communications and updates on the Programme.
• Fellows will be required to complete feedback surveys during and at the end of the Programme. As Alumni of the United Nations-Nippon Foundation Programmes, they will also be required to complete online surveys from time to time after the conclusion of their Fellowship.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must:
  • Be between the ages of 25 and 45.
  • Have successfully completed a first-level university degree.
  • Be Government officials from SIDS actively working on ocean affairs and related disciplines.
  • Be nominated by a Government official.
  • Identify two specific challenges in ocean affairs and the law of the sea linked to the special circumstances in their countries that need to be addressed.
  • Be free of all non-Fellowship obligations during the period of the Programme, unless otherwise authorized by DOALOS.

For more information, visit United Nations.