UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship: Call for Applications

UNIDIR is pleased to announce a call for applications for its 2026 Women in AI Fellowship.

Background

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become an omnipresent governance challenge, including within the arena of international security and disarmament. Discussions around AI today extend far beyond the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, with the issue becoming increasingly prominent across a wide range of UN cybersecurity, disarmament and counter-terrorism processes.

However, a common feature of international security processes is the underrepresentation of women. UNIDIR research shows that, on average, only a third of the diplomats accredited to arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament forums are women.

As a result, these forums not only lack equitable participation, they also become susceptible to oversights around the gender-specific impacts of weapons and violence. Our research also highlights that effective capacity-building may be one measure to help rectify this vis-à-vis governance of AI.

To redress gender inequalities and promote inclusive and effective policymaking, UNIDIR is convening the 2026 edition of the Women in AI Fellowship. This is designed as a capacity-building intervention that endows women diplomats with up-to-the-minute knowledge of the policy, legal and technical aspects of AI. Women in AI Fellows acquire the knowhow, skills, resources and networks required to engage effectively in multilateral AI discussion in the field of international peace and security.

Watch all video testimonials from our 2024 and 2025 Women in AI Fellows on our YouTube channel.

Structure

The Women in AI Fellowship comprises a week-long, in-person training in Geneva. The fellowship is structured around three key pillars for a holistic and effective programme of learning:

  1. Education: UNIDIR provides the fellows with a substantive introduction to AI technology, including its strengths and limitations; an overview of the possible and observed use cases of AI in security applications; related international security concerns surrounding AI; background to and current multilateral discussions around AI policy and governance; and insights into the links between military AI and considerations of law, ethics and gender. Learning activities are led by UNIDIR researchers in collaboration with relevant experts and stakeholder organizations.
  2. Exploration: Apart from lectures, UNIDIR facilitates the fellows’ interactions with stakeholders engaging in practical applications of AI in technical and academic settings. This will allow fellows to receive targeted briefings and to gain a better sense of the ecosystems involved in AI design, development, deployment and governance.
  3. Networking: UNIDIR also streamlines fellows’ engagements with relevant stakeholders to enable the forging of strong connections with the diplomatic community, the private sector and civil society. This includes a) the organization of a reception with the diplomatic community in Geneva, and b) a series of virtual meetings with a group of multi-sectoral experts working at the intersections of gender, security and technology. The fellows also benefit from and become part of the UNIDIR Alumni Network and the UNIDIR Expert Network on the Governance of Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain.

Key dates

  • Tuesday, 24 February – Deadline for submission of applications (midnight, CET)
  • Mid-March – Announcement of selected fellows
  • Monday, 8 June – Friday, 12 June – In-person training in Geneva

Selection criteria

  • The fellowship is open to women diplomats and government representatives who:
    • are junior to mid-career level
    • are representatives of UN Member States
    • have a strong command of both written and spoken English
    • have an interest in security, technology and/or gender
  •  Applications will be carefully screened by UNIDIR on the basis of the criteria specified above, and applicants will be informed of the result of their application regardless of their selection status.
  • The fellowship is delivered free of charge. Financial support for travel to and accommodation in Geneva for the week-long training programme will be available for a select number of participants. Fellows from developing countries will be prioritized for this support.

Application requirements

UN Member States and Delegations of international or regional organizations are invited to nominate women diplomats and government representatives for the fellowship through their respective diplomatic representation. While multiple nominations from Member States and Delegations are possible, UNIDIR will select only one fellow per entity to ensure regional diversity.

Please submit the following supporting documents by email to sectec-unidir@un.org with the subject line “2026 UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship Application”:

  • Copy of passport;
  • Curriculum vitae of no more than two pages;
  • Two recommendation letters, one of which should be from the applicant’s national government or diplomatic representation to the UN;
  • A one-page letter of interest detailing the applicant’s experience and interest in the areas covered by the fellowship, as well as an outline of how they envisage using knowledge gained during the programme.

Please ensure that the applicant’s email address is included in the CC field of the email to UNIDIR.

Kindly note that UNIDIR will not accept applications submitted directly by the individuals themselves, the documents should come from the relevant diplomatic representation.

Support from UNIDIR core funders provides the foundation for all of the Institute’s activities. This initiative is also made possible thanks to those donors supporting UNIDIR’s Integrated Approaches – Gender and Disarmament Programme and UNIDIR’s Security and Technology Programme specifically: Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Microsoft.