The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has announced 25 openings for young African women to join the second cohort of the African Young Women Leaders (AfYWL) Fellowship Programme. The application deadline is September 14, 2021.
The AfYWL Fellowship Program provides an opportunity to work with UNDP at its headquarters in New York or one of its regional or country offices. The fellow may also be assigned to the United Nations Secretariat or the African Union Commission.
UNDP will collaborate with the AUC and AU member states on the second cohort (2021-2022) to improve women’s leadership and representation in public and private institutions. This will be accomplished through targeted leadership development and capacity building to increase the participation of young women in decision-making roles.
The 12-month fellowship focuses on the three pillars listed below.
- Providing outstanding young African women leaders with the leadership skills and experience needed to advance the SDGs and Agenda 2063 and effectively contribute to decision-making in domestic and international public, private, and multilateral institutions.
- Developing a diverse talent pool to improve UNDP’s organizational efficiency and contribute to more responsive and effective policies and programs.
- Creating a network of African young female professionals who are committed to promoting innovative, sustainable, and inclusive development through South-South development exchange.
The fellowship is a collaboration between the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The fellowship, which was established within the framework of the AUC Chairperson’s 1 million by 2021 Initiative, aims to provide opportunities for African youth in key areas. These include education, employment, entrepreneurship, and engagement, as well as the inclusion of youth and women in critical development spaces.
Criteria for eligibility and selection
- Only female candidates should apply.
- All applicants must be citizens of an African Union member country. Priority will be given to nationals of AU member countries who did not participate in the Fellowship Programme’s first cohort.
- All applicants must be under the age of 34 at the time of application.
- A master’s degree or equivalent in Economics, Political Science, Business Administration, International Relations/Development, Law, Communications, Digitalization, or another development-related field is required.
- One year (post-master) of relevant and paid work experience in research, analysis, program/project development, implementation, and management is permitted.
- Available to attend an induction workshop in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, in late 2021/early 2022.
- Available in 2021/22 for a 12-month fellowship assignment.
- Willing to live and work in a country other than their own.
- Understanding and interest in poverty eradication, long-term structural transformation, the SDGs, and Agenda 2063
- Capacity to collect comprehensive information on complex problems or situations, as well as the ability to accurately evaluate and analyze information in order to identify key issues and solutions.
The program will cover travel and medical insurance costs, and each fellow will receive a monthly stipend to cover housing and living expenses at their respective duty station. An earmarked learning budget will also be set aside for relevant learning and development activities.
Physical travel will be dependent on the recommended guidelines of each recruiting office due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
