Application Deadline: 3 February, 2025
Applications are now open for the 2025 UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship. To redress gender inequalities and promote inclusive and effective policymaking, UNIDIR is convening the 2025 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, including its gendered implications. Women in AI Fellows acquire the knowhow, skills, resources and networks required to engage effectively in multilateral AI discussion in the field of international peace and security.
Structure
The Women in AI Fellowship comprises a week-long, in-person training in Geneva. The Fellowship is structured around three key pillars for a holistic and effective programme of learning:
- Education – UNIDIR provides the Fellows with a substantive introduction to AI technology, including its strengths and limitations; an overview of the possible and observed use cases of AI in security applications; related international security concerns surrounding AI; background to and current multilateral discussions around AI policy and governance; and insights into the link between gender and military AI. Learning activities are led by UNIDIR researchers in collaboration with relevant experts and stakeholder organizations.
- Exploration – Apart from lectures, UNIDIR facilitates the Fellows’ interactions with stakeholders engaging in practical applications of AI in technical and academic settings. This will allow Fellows to receive targeted briefings and to gain a better sense of the ecosystems involved in AI design, development, deployment and governance.
- Networking – UNIDIR also streamlines Fellows’ engagements with relevant stakeholders to enable the forging of strong connections with the diplomatic community, the private sector and civil society. This includes a) the organization of a reception with the diplomatic community in Geneva, and b) a series of virtual meetings with a group of multi-sectoral experts working at the intersections of gender, security and technology.
Eligibility Requirements
- The Fellowship is open to women diplomats 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.
Benefits
- UNIDIR will select up to 30 Fellows, of which 10 will be fully sponsored by UNIDIR and the rest will participate at their own or their sponsoring organizations’ expense. Priority for sponsorship will be given to Fellows from developing countries.
Timeline
- Monday, 3 February – Deadline for submission of applications (midnight, Geneva time)
- Monday, 17 February – Announcement of selected Fellows
- Monday, 7 April – Friday, 11 April – In-person training in Geneva
Application Requirements
UN Member States are invited to nominate women diplomats to the Fellowship, and candidates also have the option of applying directly.
Interested applicants or their diplomatic representations are invited to submit the following supporting documents by email to sectec-unidir@un.org with the subject line “2025 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.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship
