About

The George Washington University (GW) UNESCO Fellows Program is administered by the GW UNESCO Chair in International Education for Development and places GW graduate students in the field of international education into three-month intensive internships in UNESCO regional/field offices and institutes around the world. Through their experiences, Fellows directly contribute to UNESCO’s work in addressing some of the leading educational and social issues, including promoting social inclusion, gender equity, and community development. In addition, the program contributes to graduate students’ academic and professional skills, including intercultural competence, leadership, communication, policy dialogue among various stakeholders, community development, and monitoring and evaluation.

Students are selected through a competitive multi-step process involving first a review panel of GW faculty and second the UNESCO internship application process. Launched in 2015, to date, this program has placed 16 students in UNESCO field offices and institutes in 9 countries, including in Chile, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Senegal, and Thailand. This year, 8 graduate students from GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development and Elliott School of International Affairs have placements in Bangkok, Dakar, Hamburg, Jakarta, New Delhi, Paris, and Santiago.

The GW UNESCO Fellows program is currently directed by Dr. Laura Engel, Associate Professor of International Education and International Affairs, co-chair of the GW UNESCO Chair in International Education for Development, and Director of the International Education Program at GW.

To find out more about the Fellows Program, please contact unescochair@gwu.edu.

Disclaimer: This blog is written by individuals participating in the GW UNESCO Fellows Program about their experiences. The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of views contained in this blog and for opinions expressed therein, which do not reflect those of UNESCO or The George Washington University.