The United Nations University Fellowship

The United Nations University (UNU) was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 6 December 1973 to be an international community of scholars engaged in research, advanced training, and the dissemination of knowledge related to the pressing global problems of human survival, development, and welfare. The UNU started activities in 1975 at its headquarters in Tokyo. Its activities focus mainly on peace and conflict resolution, development in a changing world, and science and technology in relation to human welfare. The University operates through a worldwide network of research and postgraduate training centres, with its planning and coordinating headquarters in Tokyo.

The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States. UNU’s key roles are to be:

• An international community of scholars
• A bridge between the UN and the academic community
• A think-tank for the UN system
• A builder of capacities, particularly in developing countries

The University of Geneva and UNU share a strong commitment to capacity development, especially aiming to enhance the capacity of individuals and institutions in developing countries. Therefore, in line with UNU’s capacity-development focus, the University of Geneva will offer two UNU fellowships on the 2007/2008 IOMBA intake. The UNU fellowship covers full tuition and fees for the IOMBA programme, as well as a stipend for living expenses in Geneva throughout the academic part of the programme.

UNU fellows will be mid-career professionals from developing countries, who would be expected to apply and disseminate their newly acquired knowledge and skills in promoting the socio-economic development of their own and other developing countries.

Applicants must submit a completed application file by 30 September 2006. A completed application file includes:

• Completed Application Form and Application Fee
• UNIGE Matriculation form
• Standardized Test Scores (GMAT & TOEFL)
• Official Transcripts and photocopies of previous degrees
• Two Reference Letters

Note on GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test, perhaps better known by its initials GMAT, is a standardized test for determining aptitude in business management studies. Virtually all good-quality business schools in the world require it for their full-time MBA programmes, and the IOMBA is no exception. Consequently, no application will be reviewed without a GMAT score. In order to accommodate applications from nationals of developing countries that do not have year-round GMAT testing facilities (look for dates and register online), we will accept that GMAT scores be submitted up to 30 March 2007. However, all other elements of the application must be submitted by 30 September 2006. Applicants will be informed in May 2007 whether they have been selected.

We encourage applicants to the UNU fellowship to apply in parallel to the Swiss Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS). Application deadlines tend to be around September/October, about a a year in advance of commencing your studies. More information about the precise deadline per country can be obtained at the Swiss embassy in your country. For complete information and conditions, please visit the FCS website.

For more info, please visit the website.