16th Meeting of Senior Fellowships Officers of the ... - Development

Administrative Issues 49
veloped Countries (LDCs). In 2005, approximately 10,000 assignments had been
placed. Of these, 2,778 were experts & lecturers, 3,166 were meeting participants,
589 national consultants, 1,556 training course participants and 1,269 fellows &
scientific visitors for a total cost of 39 million US dollars. Since 1996 the number
of nominating countries had risen from 89 to 106 in 2005 and the number of host
countries increased from 73 to 88. Most of the fellowships were given for training in
Application of Isotopes and Radiation in Medicine (26%), Application of Isotopes
and Radiation in Agriculture (16%) and in Safety in Nuclear Energy (15%).
166. Ms. Delhommeau highlighted that in 2005 a special fund for fellowships and training
was created from the IAEA’s share of the Nobel Peace Prize received in the same year to
improve cancer control and childhood nutrition in developing countries. Sixteen IAEA
fellows were selected out of the African, Asian and Latin American regions to benefit
from one of the two courses financed from the IAEA Nobel Peace Price Cancer and
Nutrition Fund.
O. Presentation on IAEA Fellowship Survey and TCDC, by
Ms. Nathalie Colinet, Department of Technical Cooperation,
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
167. At the outset, Ms. Colinet took the opportunity to commend the 15th Meeting of
SFOs in Geneva for the presentations on fellowships evaluations by WHO and the
World Bank. These organizations inspired IAEA to conduct its own fellowships survey
in 2005. The Department of Technical Cooperation had already conducted a survey
among former fellows for the years 2001 and 2002 to assess the impact and the quality
of the IAEA fellowships programme. An online questionnaire, entitled “International
Atomic Energy Agency Fellows: Where Are They Now?” had been set up and sent out
electronically allowing fellows to answer anonymously. The questionnaire inquired on
the current location and occupation of the former fellows. It further asked them to rate
the quality of the fellowships programme as well as its impact on the individual, the
home institution, the IAEA TC project and the home country. Ms Colinet mentioned
a number of issues that IAEA had realized while conducting that survey. Finding upto-date
contact information for the former fellows had been critical; mobility or braindrain
phenomena occurred and were particularly significant in Africa. Therefore, answers
to questions pertaining to the issue of fellows returning to their home countries
were biased.
168. The results of the survey represent only the opinions of the surveyed participants, not
those of all former fellows. Of a total of 2,067 fellows, 60% were reached by email or
fax. Half of them, or 30% of the total, responded to the survey. On the positive side,
respondents found that the fellowships programme had contributed successfully to
technology and knowledge transfer to their home institutions and to the TC projects
in which they had been involved. Ninety four percent of the fellows had returned
to their home institution and considered the skills and knowledge acquired useful