2003 FELLOWSHIPS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW AWARDED; PROGRAMME TO TAKE PLACE IN THE HAGUE 7 JULY-15 AUGUST

2003 FELLOWSHIPS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW AWARDED; PROGRAMME

TO TAKE PLACE IN THE HAGUE 7 JULY-15 AUGUST

GENEVA, 7 April (UN Information Service) -- The Selection Committee of the United Nations Fellowship Programme in International Law met in New York on Friday, 4 April 2003, under the chairmanship of Hans Corell, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Legal Counsel of the United Nations.

The Committee awarded 19 fellowships (9 male, 10 female) to candidates from the following countries:  Algeria, Angola, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Slovenia.

For the eleventh consecutive year, self-funded observers have also been granted access to the Programme.  To apply for participation, they must have the same qualifications as the other participants.  This year, they come from the following countries:  Italy, Luxemburg, Oman and Turkey.

The Fellowship Programme will take place in The Hague/Netherlands, from

7 July to 15 August 2003.  The working language of the 2003 Programme is French.  The 2004 Programme will be conducted in English.

The United Nations Fellowship Programme in International Law was launched in 1965 under the United Nations Programme of Assistance for the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law.  The United Nations Office of Legal Affairs and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research organize the programme on an annual basis.

The aim of the Fellowship Programme is to enable qualified professionals from developing countries and countries in socio-economic transition, in particular mid-level government officials and university professors of international law, to acquire additional knowledge about international law and the legal work of the United Nations and its associated bodies.

To qualify for the fellowships, candidates should normally be law graduates with practical experience in the field of international law, acquired by working for a public or private organization or a university.  Eligible participants should be between 24 and 40 years of age.

One hundred and ninety-seven persons from 56 countries filed their applications for the 2003 programme.  Nominations were received from 148 male and 49 female candidates.  Applications were submitted from the following regions:  146 from Africa, 7 from Asia and the Pacific, 15 from Eastern and Central Europe, 4 from the Middle East, 19 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 6 from Western European and other States.