The UNNF Ocean Governance Fellowship for Small Island Developing States is run by the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, part of the Office of Legal Affairs, with funding from The Nippon Foundation. It trains serving government officials from small island developing States who already handle ocean affairs but have limited background in the law of the sea.
The fellowship is a training programme of about three months at United Nations Headquarters in New York. It is offered annually and usually falls between September and November; the 2026 session ran from early September to early December 2026 and offered ten places.
Fellows follow a curriculum adapted to their own needs, with sessions, scenario-based exercises and workshops led by United Nations staff and visiting experts, and they observe intergovernmental meetings at Headquarters. Part of the programme is shared with the Strategic Needs Fellows. Each fellow completes assignments, a research paper and an ocean governance matrix, and gives an oral presentation.
Benefits & funding
- Fully funded: a monthly stipend, medical insurance and a round-trip economy class air ticket between the fellow’s home country and New York.
- The stipend follows United Nations rates that vary by location. It is living support rather than a salary, and covers lodging, meals and basic expenses for one person.
- Medical coverage is provided through Cigna health insurance, within the insurer’s limits; specialised services are excluded.
- Ten fellowships were offered in the 2026 session.
- Visa costs and accommodation are the fellow’s own responsibility, and fellows are urged not to bring family members, who receive no coverage.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be between 25 and 45 years old.
- Applicants must have completed a first-level university degree.
- Applicants must be from a small island developing State on the United Nations list.
- Applicants must be serving government officials whose duties relate directly to ocean affairs: implementation of UNCLOS and related instruments, maritime zones, coastal management, marine resources, maritime security, protection of the marine environment or ocean-climate issues.
- The fellowship is aimed at officials with limited background in ocean affairs and the law of the sea.
- Applicants need a strong command of spoken and written English.
- A nominating government authority must complete and sign the nomination and recommendation form.
- The proposed study programme must contribute directly to the formulation or implementation of the applicant’s State ocean policy, and the applicant must be free of obligations outside the fellowship for its full duration.
- The Division works towards gender balance and geographical diversity, encourages women to apply, and provides reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities.
- The United Nations list of small island developing States also covers 18 associate members of regional commissions, such as Aruba and Guam; the call refers to small island developing States without listing them one by one.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Eligible nationalities
Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Cabo Verde · Comoros · Cook Islands · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Fiji · Grenada
+ 27 more
Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Jamaica · Kiribati · Maldives · Marshall Islands · Mauritius · Micronesia · Nauru · Niue · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Seychelles · Singapore · Solomon Islands · Suriname · Timor-Leste · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tuvalu · Vanuatu
Education required
Bachelor
Age requirement
25–45 yrs
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Application process
- 1Watch the Apply Now page of the UN-Nippon Foundation programmes site; applications are accepted only while a call is open.
- 2Complete the personal history and proposed research/study programme form.
- 3Have the nominating government authority complete and sign the nomination and recommendation form.
- 4Complete the online application form.
- 5Email the full package with a copy of a valid passport to doalos@un.org, using the subject line given in the call, before the stated deadline.
Program timeline
Application deadline for the 2026 session
Mar 22, 2026
Awards communicated to selected candidates and posted on the fellowship website
End of May 2026
Training begins at United Nations Headquarters in New York
Early September 2026
Training ends
Early December 2026
The fellowship runs every year; the next call appears on the Apply Now page