2004 UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME OF FELLOWSHIPS ON DISARMAMENT STARTS IN GENEVA

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 30 August (UN Information Service) -- The 2004 United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament starts today at the United Nations Office at Geneva with the participation of young diplomats from 30 Member States of the United Nations.  The programme will last for a period of almost 10 weeks.

Diplomats from the following 30 Member States will be participating in the 2004 Disarmament Fellowship Programme:  Argentina, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zambia.

The 2004 Disarmament Fellowship Programme will include lectures by senior representatives of Member States of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and delegations to the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, staff members of the Department for Disarmament Affairs and members of the academic community.  In Geneva, the Fellows will also have the opportunity to observe sessions of the Conference on Disarmament and attend a seminar organized by United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.  In New York, the Fellows will follow the proceedings of the First Committee of the General Assembly, as well as a seminar organized by the Centre for Non-Proliferation Studies of the Monterey Institute of International Studies.  The Fellowship Programme will also include study visits to the Organization on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna.  As in previous years, study visits to Germany and Japan will also be hosted by those respective governments.

The United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament was launched by the General Assembly in 1978 with the aim of promoting expertise in disarmament in more Member States, particularly in the developing countries.  Implemented by the Department for Disarmament Affairs, the Programme has trained, in the 26 years of its existence, some 645 public officials from 152 Member States, a large number of whom are now in positions of responsibility in the field of disarmament within their own governments.

The Programme will conclude at United Nations Headquarters on 3 November.  The Fellows will be awarded certificates of participation by the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Nobuyasu Abe.

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