The Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship Programme is a unique opportunity for young, working journalists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition to cover the United Nations.
Hosted annually at UN Headquarters, the programme brings together a select group of journalists to cover the opening of the General Assembly for their news outlets.
Since its founding in 1981, the fellowship has been awarded to 611 journalists from 168 countries.
Upon completion of the programme, fellows are expected to continue working in journalism and promote better understanding of the United Nations in their home countries.
Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme went virtual for the first time in its history.
The 2021 programme is also being held virtually. It kicked off on 17 September with an online meet and greet event with Maher Nasser, Director, Outreach Division, Department of Global Communications.
Mr. Nasser welcomed the fellows, gave an overview of the activities of the Outreach Division, and highlighted the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly and high-level week activities.
We are honoured to welcome 19 young journalists (age 22 to 35) from the regions of Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific, with backgrounds in print, broadcast, digital, television, and multimedia. Their biographies and photos can be found on the programme website.
The schedule for the fellows is full for the next three weeks with opportunities to meet and interview senior officials from the Secretariat and UN agencies and programmes.
The speakers include Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications; Jayathma Wickramanayake, Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth; and Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th Session of the General Assembly.
The 2021 session will run through 8 October.
Be sure to follow our Twitter @unraf and Facebook page @RAFjournalists for an inside look at the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship Programme, including the #MeetTheFellows campaign, which highlights the journalists and their accomplishments.
