ITTO Fellowship Programme, International Tropical Timber Organization, Japan (2016)

ITTO offers fellowships through the Freezailah Fellowship Fund to promote human resource development and to strengthen professional expertise in member countries in tropical forestry and related disciplines. The goal is to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests, the efficient use and processing of tropical timber, and better economic information about the international trade in tropical timber.

An impact assessment of the Fellowship Programme, conducted in spring of 2010, showed that the Fellowship Programme has made significant contribution to human capacity development in ITTO producer member countries. Two hundred and six fellows from 34 countries, who completed their fellowship activities between 2000 and 2009, responded to a survey questionnaire. Almost all of the respondents indicated that they have been contributing to promoting sustainable forest management in their home countries. About 85% of the respondents indicated that they have improved their productivity and performance of their home institution by developing new programs or innovative ways of working. Majority of respondents (83%) indicated that the knowledge and skills acquired through the Fellowship program has helped them to influence national forestry and environmental policy in their home countries. About fifty percent (50%) of respondents indicated that they are currently working on international forestry issues, particularly on climate change and REDD.

Eighty five percent of the respondents currently hold either Ph.D. (39%) or Masters Degree (46%) in forestry and related disciplines, and about a half of the fellows received these degrees through the support of the Fellowship Programme. More than half of the respondents (59%) achieved a relevant job position or job promotion immediately after completion of their fellowships, and 83% replied that their job promotion was related to the skills and knowledge that they gained from their fellowship activities.

A summary of the survey results is available in the special edition of the TFU Volume 21 Number 1, 2011, dedicated to the Fellowship Programme.

Eligibility

The maximum amount for a fellowship grant is US$10,000. Only nationals of ITTO member countries are eligible to apply, and fellowships are awarded mainly to nationals of developing member countries. Click here for further information including eligibility, appraisal and selection criteria.

Further details:
http://www.itto.int