The Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship brings a small group of young journalists to the United Nations each autumn to report on the organization at first hand. The General Assembly mandated the programme in December 1980 through resolution 35/201, and it has run since 1981 under the Outreach Division of the Department of Global Communications.
Fellows follow the opening of the General Assembly, attend briefings with UN experts, meet senior officials including the Secretary-General, join training workshops with media experts, and meet news organizations in New York. Close to 700 journalists from 168 countries have taken part so far.
The programme is named for Reham Al-Farra, a 29-year-old Jordanian public information officer killed in the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003. The 2026 edition is set for a four-week period across September and October; the UN has not yet said whether it will run online or partly in person.
Benefits & funding
- Four weeks of access to the United Nations during the General Assembly high-level period.
- Briefings with UN experts and meetings with senior officials, including the Secretary-General.
- Training workshops with media experts and meetings with news organizations in New York.
- Fellows report for their own outlets and may publish in their native language.
- The UN’s current programme pages do not state which costs the fellowship covers, and there is no application fee. Selected applicants should confirm travel and living arrangements with the organizers.
Eligibility
- Full-time working journalists between 22 and 35 years of age.
- Nationals of one of the listed developing countries and economies in transition.
- Citizens of an eligible country who live abroad qualify if they work full time as journalists covering the UN or UN priority issues connected to their home country.
- Freelance journalists qualify with strong UN-related work samples and supporting documents such as press accreditation.
- Students and journalism teachers at higher education institutions are not eligible.
- Proficiency in English, the programme’s working language.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bahamas · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados
+ 141 more
Belarus · Belize · Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · North Korea · DR Congo · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Micronesia · Fiji · Gabon · Gambia · Georgia · Ghana · Grenada · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Marshall Islands · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Moldova · Mongolia · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nauru · Nepal · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · North Macedonia · Oman · Pakistan · Palau · Palestine · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Qatar · Russia · Rwanda · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Serbia · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sri Lanka · Sudan · Suriname · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · UAE · Tanzania · Ukraine · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Age requirement
22–35 yrs
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Application process
- 1Check the eligibility rules and the eligible-country list on the programme details page.
- 2Gather five work samples on the UN or its priority issues published in the previous six months; broadcast journalists share publicly accessible links or upload files to a file-sharing service with open viewing permissions.
- 3Prepare a passport or identity document copy, a CV in English, and two reference letters; references may stay in their original language when full contact details are provided.
- 4Upload the supporting documents to Google Drive or Dropbox and submit the online application form within the application window.
- 5Sign by typing your name in the declaration field, then submit.
- 6Await selection. Applications are assessed on age, professional experience, coverage of the UN, portfolio strength and audience reach, with attention to geographic diversity and gender parity.
Program timeline
16 February 2026
Applications for the 2026 fellowship opened.
Application deadline.
3 April 2026
September to October 2026
Four-week programme; 18 fellows are listed for the 2026 edition.