Since 2001, the Government of Japan has generously funded each year 20 fellowships through the UNESCO Co-Sponsored Programme. This partnership between UNESCO and Japan has offered several opportunities to young researchers from developing countries to study abroad and to bring back to their countries an added value of knowledge and skills in the field of scientific research. They acquired rich experience allowing them to better contribute to the development of their countries.
“This fellowships programme has fostered research and shared knowledge between people across the world. It has strengthened ties and it has changed many individual lives. In the words of our Constitution, this is a great example of UNESCO’s goal to foster ((intellectual and moral solidarity)) as the basis for lasting peace. I express my gratitude to the Government of Japan for its generous financial assistance, without which this initiative would not have been possible”. (Irina Bokova Director-General , 2011).
Why this programme?
The Government of Japan has committed itself to cooperating with UNESCO in enhancing capacity-building of human resources in developing countries. It is in that framework, under a Funds-in- Trust Project and the UNESCO Co-Sponsored Fellowships Programme, that the Government of Japan has, since 2001, generously financed 20 research fellowships each year, in memory of the late Mr Keizo Obuchi. With a view to keeping alive and honouring the spirit of former Prime Minister Obuchi and his belief in “people building the next era”, these fellowships are awarded to deserving candidates from developing countries, especially the least developed countries (LDCs), who were eager to undertake research on one or more of the topics. The aim of the fellowships is to support innovative and imaginative postgraduate research in the areas of development to which former Prime Minister Obuchi was committed and which coincide with areas of particular interest to UNESCO, namely: - Environment - Intercultural Dialogue - Information and Communication Technologies - Peaceful Conflict Resolution
What are the expected results of this programme?
To date, the UNESCO / Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowships Programme /UNESCO/(Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme) has contributed to: - Strengthening UNESCO’s capacity-building activities. - Upgrading of knowledge of state-of-the-art developments. - Facilitating the transfer and sharing of knowledge, the exchange of information, and technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC). - Supporting innovation, research and information in a number of fields of the Organization’s competence. - Promoting the forging of links and contacts. - Ensuring a “multiplier effect” as knowledge acquired abroad is brought home. - Fostering friendship, international understanding and peace among the beneficiaries and in the host countries.
Why this WEBSITE ?
The purpose of this website is to provide a brief overview of the results of the research undertaken by the fellowship beneficiaries selected for during 2001 to 2014 cycles:
- Who are they?
- What research did they do?
- What did they achieve?