Tag Archives: politics

UNIDIR WOMEN IN AI FELLOWSHIP: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Application Deadline: Tuesday, 24 February  (midnight, CET)

LOCATION: Switzerland

UNIDIR is pleased to announce a call for applications for its 2026 Women in AI Fellowship. To redress gender inequalities and promote inclusive and effective policymaking, UNIDIR is convening the 2026 edition of the Women in AI Fellowship. This is designed as a capacity-building intervention that endows women diplomats with up-to-the-minute knowledge of the policy, legal, and technical aspects of AI.

ELIGIBILITY:

The fellowship is open to women diplomats and government representatives who:

Are junior to mid-career level

Are representatives of UN Member States

Have a strong command of both written and spoken English

Have an interest in security, technology and/or gender

Applications will be carefully screened by UNIDIR on the basis of the criteria specified above, and applicants will be informed of the result of their application regardless of their selection status.

Application requirements:

UN Member States and Delegations of international or regional organizations are invited to nominate women diplomats and government representatives for the fellowship through their respective diplomatic representation. While multiple nominations from Member States and Delegations are possible, UNIDIR will select only one fellow per entity to ensure regional diversity.

Please submit the following supporting documents by email to sectec-unidir@un.org with the subject line “2026 UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship Application”:

Copy of passport;

Curriculum vitae of no more than two pages;

Two recommendation letters, one of which should be from the applicant’s national government or diplomatic representation to the UN;

A one-page letter of interest detailing the applicant’s experience and interest in the areas covered by the fellowship, as well as an outline of how they envisage using knowledge gained during the programme.

Please ensure that the applicant’s email address is included in the CC field of the email to UNIDIR.

BENEFIT:

The fellowship is delivered free of charge. Financial support for travel to and accommodation in Geneva for the week-long training programme will be available for a select number of participants. Fellows from developing countries will be prioritized for this support.

APPLY

CALL FOR PROJECTS “UNESCO-ASCHBERG PROGRAMME FOR ARTISTS AND CULTURAL PROFESSIONALS”

Application Deadline: 23 February 2026 (23:59 UTC+1)

LOCATION: Multiple Regions

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launches a call open to governments and public institutions, as well as civil society organizations, to support initiatives aimed at protecting and promoting the status of the artist and artistic freedom.

ELIGIBILITY:

This call for projects aims to support government- and civil society-led initiatives that protect and promote the status of the artist and artistic freedom in its broad sense, as recognised by UNESCO—that is, encompassing a bundle of rights protected under international law, including:

The right to create without censorship or intimidation

The right to have artistic work supported, distributed, and remunerated

Artists’ right to freedom of movement

Artists’ right to freedom of association

The protection of the social and economic rights of artists

Everyone’s right to participate in cultural life 

To advance these rights, the call for projects offers two tracks:

TRACK 1 – FOR GOVERNMENTS AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS: Technical assistance to revise or design laws, regulations, policies, and measures that promote and protect the status of the artist and artistic freedom.

TRACK 2 – FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS: Financial assistance for innovative projects that advance the status of the artist and artistic freedom at the local, national, regional, or international level. These may encompass, for example, capacity building, advocacy, monitoring and research, etc.

To find out more about each of the two tracks, including the eligibility criteria, please read the call for projects document carefully.

Track 1—For Governments and Public Institutions: Project proposals under track 1 may be submitted by governments and public institutions of UNESCO member states.

Priority will be given to developing countries, those whose governmental and public institutions have not yet been supported under the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme, and projects that respond to UNESCO’s strategic priorities—Africa, gender equality, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), youth, and fostering an intersectoral approach.

Applicants should be government/public institutions whose mandate is relevant for the advancement of the status of the artist and cultural professionals and artistic freedom, for example, national ministries (Culture, Finance, Labour, Tourism, Communication, Social Affairs, etc.)

Track 2 – Financial Assistance to Civil Society Initiatives: Applicants should be local, national, regional, or international civil society organizations that operate on a not-for-profit basis.

Applicants may include: Non-governmental organizations that promote the status of the artist and artistic freedom, and associations and foundations active in the cultural and creative industries, including cultural and professional associations, Networks or unions of artists and cultural professionals, Academic institutions and research centers.

To be eligible, applicants must: Have at least two (02) years of legal existence (proof of legal registration required); Have directly implemented, over the past two years, at least one project in the cultural and creative sector (provide activity reports and financial statements for the past two years, 2023- 2024).

Priority will be given to CSOs that have not previously received support under the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme and projects that benefit artists and cultural professionals from developing countries and that respond to UNESCO’s strategic priorities—Africa, gender equality, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), youth, and fostering an inter-sectoral approach.

BENEFIT:

Track 1—For Governments and Public Institutions: Financial Support for Logistics: While technical assistance offered under track 1 is primarily expert-driven, applicants may request up to 30,000 USD in order to support the logistics of the project’s implementation (e.g., logistical organization of meetings/consultations/capacity-building activities, funding of communication activities, etc.). Applicants are therefore invited to present a preliminary budget for the planned activities, as indicated in the application form.

Track 2 – Financial Assistance to Civil Society Initiatives: Applicants may request financial support for up to USD 50,000 to implement their proposed project. This funding can cover costs directly related to project delivery

APPLY