What the UN and Nippon Foundation Are Actually Offering
This is not a student scholarship. The UNNF OALOS Fellowship is a nine-month professional development programme designed specifically for mid-level government officials and practitioners from developing countries who work directly on ocean affairs or the law of the sea. If that describes your current role, this fellowship is one of the most credible and practically impactful opportunities available in your field anywhere in the world.
The programme runs in two consecutive phases. Phase One takes place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 24 March to 30 June 2027, a three-month immersive training experience conducted by the UN Office of Legal Affairs and DOALOS. Phase Two follows immediately, placing you at an academic Host Institution for six months of guided research from 1 July to 17 December 2027. The Host Institution is selected based on the specific expertise relevant to your research area, meaning your placement is aligned with your actual work rather than being a generic academic posting.
All fellowship activities are conducted in English and require full in-person participation. Your research project can be conducted in English or French, provided your Host Institution can offer supervision in your chosen language. French and Spanish training materials are available upon request and subject to availability.
Is This Right for You?
Apply if you are:
Between 25 and 45 years of age at the time of application
A national of a developing state, this fellowship is not open to applicants from developed countries
A mid-level government official or mid-level professional working directly on ocean affairs and/or the law of the sea in any of the specific areas listed, including UNCLOS implementation, SDG 14, maritime zones and boundary delimitation, coastal zone management, marine resource conservation, maritime security, maritime transport, marine environmental protection, or marine science
Holding at least a first university degree or equivalent qualification, with demonstrated ability to undertake advanced academic research and study
Possessing a strong command of spoken and written English, since all activities are conducted in English and require your active, in-person participation
Available to commit fully to nine consecutive months from March through December 2027, across two different locations
Do not waste your time applying if:
You are not from a developing state, this criterion is explicitly stated and not flexible
You work in ocean affairs in a peripheral or supporting capacity rather than directly, the fellowship targets people whose core professional responsibility involves one of the listed subject areas
You cannot be physically present for the full nine months, Phase One at UN HQ in New York and Phase Two at the academic Host Institution, remote participation is not an option
You fall outside the 25 to 45 age range at the time of application
You do not have strong written and spoken English, since all training, workshops, and fellowship activities operate in English
Tips Nobody Will Tell You
1. Your Nomination Form must be signed and stamped by your nominating authority, and this takes longer than you think to arrange.
The application requires three documents: the Personal History and Proposed Research/Study Programme form, the Fellowship Nomination Form, and a copy of your valid national passport. The Nomination Form must be completed, signed, and stamped by the official nominating authority at your institution or government department. Obtaining this formal endorsement from a senior official or government body is not a same-day task. It requires internal approvals, scheduling, and sometimes bureaucratic processes that can take weeks. Start this process immediately, well before you begin writing your research proposal.
2. Sections 16, 17, and 18 of the Personal History form are where your application is actually won or lost, the instructions specifically flag these as requiring particular attention.
DOALOS explicitly tells applicants to pay particular attention to these sections when completing the form. These sections typically cover your professional background, your proposed research or study programme, and your career objectives relative to the fellowship's goals. A weak or vague research proposal in these sections will not survive review regardless of how impressive your other qualifications are. Define a clear, specific research question within one of the programme's subject areas, demonstrate its relevance to your current role, and articulate concretely what you intend to do with the fellowship experience when you return.
3. Your research area directly determines which academic institution you are placed at during Phase Two, so think carefully about how you frame it.
The Host Institution for Phase Two is selected based on its expertise in your specific research area. This means the research topic you propose in your application has real consequences for where you spend six months of your professional life. Before writing your proposal, think strategically about what you genuinely need to research, what institutional environments would best support that work, and whether your proposed topic is specific enough to be matched with a genuinely expert host. A proposal framed as "ocean law generally" is harder to place well than one addressing a specific aspect such as small island state maritime boundary delimitation or regional fisheries enforcement under UNCLOS.
Why This Fellowship Is Worth Pursuing
Ocean affairs and the law of the sea sit at the intersection of international law, environmental science, economic development, and geopolitics. For African developing nations with significant coastlines, exclusive economic zones, and fishing communities, the professionals who understand UNCLOS, maritime boundaries, and marine resource management are among the most strategically important people their governments can develop. Many African coastal states are still in the process of delimiting their maritime boundaries, developing their blue economy frameworks, and implementing SDG 14. The practitioners who understand these areas at a sophisticated level are rare, and their influence is disproportionate to their numbers.
The UN Nippon Foundation Fellowship offers nine months inside the most authoritative institutions in this field globally, beginning at the United Nations itself. The combination of New York-based UN training and a research placement at a world-class academic institution builds a professional profile that is genuinely difficult to replicate through any other route. For a mid-level government official from a developing African coastal state who comes back from this fellowship, the knowledge, networks, and credentials they carry represent a direct upgrade in their country's capacity to navigate the complex legal and policy terrain of ocean governance.
The 13 September 2026 deadline is firm. Begin the nomination authority process today.
How to Apply
Download and complete the 2027 UNNF OALOS Application Form (Personal History and Proposed Research/Study Programme), filling in all fields electronically and applying your signature
Complete the 2027 UNNF OALOS Fellowship Nomination Form, signed and stamped by your official nominating authority, and begin this process immediately given the time it typically requires
Prepare a copy of your valid national passport for upload
Create an account on the Indico.UN Platform and refer to the Indico.UN Participant Guide for instructions on completing and submitting your application
Upload all three documents in the Indico.UN Platform in Word or PDF format
Submit your complete application by 13 September 2026
Award results will be posted on the DOALOS website under the News Section by mid-December 2026