United Nations Indigenous Fellowship Programme is to give indigenous persons the opportunity to gain knowledge about the UN system and mechanisms dealing with human rights issues in general and indigenous issues in particular.
The United Nations OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship fully sponsors participants for a 4-week training in Switzerland covering flight tickets, living expenses and basic health insurance.
In this post, we will discuss the details of the fellowship, its eligibility requirements, benefits, and how to successfully apply.
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United Nations Human Rights Fellowship Summary
- Host Country: Switzerland
- Category: Training | Fellowships
- Eligible Countries: All Countries
- Reward: Full Sponsorship | Living Expenses | Flight Ticket
- Deadline: September 6, 2026
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United Nations OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme Details:
Applications are now open for the 2027 United Nations OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme.
The Indigenous Fellowship Programme was launched in 1997 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the context of the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.
The aim of the programme is to give indigenous persons the opportunity to gain knowledge about the UN system and mechanisms dealing with human rights issues in general and indigenous issues in particular.
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United Nations Human Rights Fellowship Requirements:
To be considered for the United Nations Human Rights Fellowship, you must satisfy the following:
- The candidate must be indigenous (non-indigenous persons will not be taken into consideration, even if they have close links with indigenous communities and/or organizations).
- Indigenous candidates, including women, LGBTQI+ individuals, and persons with disabilities, are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Age should not be a limitation to participation in the programme.
- Formal education should not be a limitation to participation in the IFP given the socio-economic barriers confronted by many indigenous peoples that limit access to formal educational institutions.
- Candidates should agree to train other indigenous persons after the return to their respective communities/organizations.
- The candidate should be proposed, and his/her candidacy supported by his/her indigenous organization and/or community. It is desirable that the sponsoring organization has a firm constituency or membership and that it is representative.
- The candidate should have a good working knowledge of the language in which the programme is imparted.
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United Nations Human Rights Fellowship Duration and Reward
- The selected candidates are entitled to a return flight ticket, living expenses and basic health insurance for the duration of the training.
- Fellows from all 4 language components of the programme are trained together with simultaneous interpretation over 4 weeks in Geneva.
- The date of the training programme usually coincides with the annual session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (June/July each year), allowing the fellows to participate more actively in that Mechanism.
Selection Procedure
- The selection of fellows reflects a gender and regional balance, as well as a balance between communities represented. The general human rights situation in the respective regions/countries is also taken into consideration.
- A pre-selection of 15 to 20 candidates per language group is made by previous indigenous fellows. The selection process also entails interviews of pre-selected candidates who applied to either the English, French, Spanish or Portuguese language components of the programme. The final selection of successful candidates is reviewed by an advisory group composed of OHCHR staff
- In view of the large number of applications, ONLY PRE-SELECTED CANDIDATES ARE CONTACTED.
How To Apply for United Nations OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme
To apply for the United Nations OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme, interested and qualified candidates should;
- Click the green button below to go to the United Nations webpage.
- Submit application form for the programme on or before the deadline.
- Fellowship applications will only be taken into consideration if they are fully completed. Both parts I and II of the application form must be completed
- Application forms must include an official recommendation letter from the nominating Indigenous organization or community. Applicants should upload their recommendation letters directly to the online application form.
Deadline: September 6, 2026
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