OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme 2027 – Switzerland

Location: Switzerland

Program: Human Rights Training Fellowship

Eligibility: All Nationalities

Duration: 4 weeks

Deadline: September 6, 2026

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The OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme (IFP) was launched in 1997 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the context of the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. The aim of the programme is to give indigenous persons the opportunity to gain knowledge about the UN system and the mechanisms dealing with human rights issues in general and indigenous issues in particular, equipping them to better protect and promote the rights of their organisations and communities upon return. The programme is conducted over four weeks in Geneva and is available in four languages: English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Fellows from all four language components are trained together with simultaneous interpretation.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the leading United Nations entity dedicated to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all people. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, with offices worldwide, OHCHR works globally to ensure that human rights are a living reality for everyone. OHCHR provides expert advice, monitoring, and public reporting on human rights, and runs fellowship and training programmes to build the capacity of communities, civil society, national institutions, and governments worldwide. The Indigenous Fellowship Programme is one of OHCHR’s most established capacity-building initiatives, having operated since 1997 and supported hundreds of indigenous fellows from across the world.

Benefits of the Programme

This programme will provide the following to its recipients:

Return economy class flight ticket to and from Geneva
Living expenses
Basic health insurance
Other benefits

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Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this programme, applicants must meet the following:

Must be an indigenous person — non-indigenous persons will not be taken into consideration, even if they have close links with indigenous communities and/or organisations
Must be proposed by and have the support of an indigenous organisation and/or community — it is desirable that the sponsoring organisation has a firm constituency or membership and is representative
Must have a good working knowledge of the language in which the programme is delivered (English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese)
Must agree to train other indigenous persons after returning to their respective communities or organisations
Age is not a limitation to participation in the programme
Formal educational qualifications are not a limitation — given the socio-economic barriers many indigenous peoples face in accessing formal education, lack of formal qualifications does not disqualify candidates
Indigenous candidates who are women, LGBTQI+ individuals, or persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply
Must submit a fully completed online application form (both Parts I and II) including an official recommendation letter from the nominating indigenous organisation or community

Note: Kindly check the official webpage for full and detailed requirements.

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Selection Criteria

The selection process is two-stage. In the first stage, a pre-selection of 15 to 20 candidates per language group is made by previous indigenous fellows, reflecting gender and regional balance as well as balance between communities represented. The general human rights situation in each candidate’s respective region or country is also taken into consideration. In the second stage, pre-selected candidates undergo interviews conducted for each of the four language components (English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese). The final selection of successful candidates is reviewed and approved by an advisory group composed of OHCHR staff. Only pre-selected candidates are contacted due to the large volume of applications received.