Following the fellows
An assessment of
the ITTO Fellowship
Program shows it
has had far-reaching
impacts
By Chisato Aoki
ITTO Secretariat
aoki@itto.int

Listening: Rina Susanti (right) from Indonesia interviews local people as part of her ITTO fellowship. Photo: R. SusantiIn 2010, in commem­oration of the tenth anniversary of
the establishment of the Freezailah Fellowship Fund,
ITTO undertook a survey to assess the impact of the
ITTO Fellowship Program over the previous decade. The
survey showed that the program has had a significant
impact on capacity development in tropical forestry, timberindustries and related disciplines in ITTO member
countries. After the completion of their fellowships, ITTO
fellows continued to promote sustainable forest management
at the national and international levels and contributed
more to biodiversity conservation, the mitigation of andadaptation to climate change, and the improvement of local
livelihoods. This article provides a brief sketch of the historyof the ITTO Fellowship Program, presents the results of the
impact assessment survey, and suggests future directions forand improvements that could be made to the program.

Two decades of support
The ITTO Fellowship Program began in 1989 as ITTO
project PD 60/89 (M,F,I) under the Committee on Forest
Industry with the aim of promoting human resource
development and institutional strengthening in the forest
sectors of ITTO member countries. Initially the program
mainly supported participation in study tours, conferences
and short training courses (including tailor-madeinstitutional training), especially in forest industry
operations and timber marketing.
In 1993, the Fellowship Program was renewed under ITTO
project PD 1/93 (M,F,I), which expanded the program’s
scope, particularly to promote activities that would help inachieving the ITTO Year 2000 Objective. More people weretrained in sustainable forest management and reforestation
during this phase, which also supported an increasing

number of post-graduate studies although the focus
remained on short-term activities.
In 2000, the Freezailah Fellowship Fund was created tohonour the achievements of ITTO’s first executive director
and to expand funding opportunities. The objective of the
ITTO Fellowship Program was restated as “to develop
human resources and enhance professional expertise inmember countries in tropical forestry, tropical timberindustries and related disciplines, with a view to promoting
sustainable management of tropical forests, efficientutilization and processing of tropical timber, and better
economic information on the international trade in tropicaltimber”. More detailed information about the three phasesof the program can be found in Aoki (2006).
Over the past two decades (1989-2010), the ITTO Fellowship
Program has awarded about US$6.3 million to 1083 mostly
young and mid-career individuals from research institutes(32% of all ITTO fellows), governments (28%), universities(17%), NGOs (12%), the private sector (5%) and others (6%)
in 44 ITTO member countries. About 30% of all fellowships
have been won by women. Fellowships have been distributed
to applicants from producer member countries in AsiaPacific (32%), Africa (30%) and Latin America and Caribbean(23%), from developing consumer countries such as Nepal
and China (11%), and from developed consumer countries(4%). In the last decade there were about 3200 applications
for fellowships, of which about 540 (17%) were successful,showing the strong demand (and competition) for support
under the program.
The program continues to fund short-term activities such as
short training courses and internship programs (30%),
conference participation (19%) and study and/or

ITTO Tropical Forest Update 21/1

3

	
  

demonstration tours (9%). However, the program has
increased its support for post-graduate studies: about half ofall fellows since 2000 have obtained master’s or PhD degrees
in forestry or related disciplines, and the proportion of
fellows pursuing post-graduate studies continues to increase(Figure 1).

The rise of post-graduates
Figure 1

Fellowship activities, by phase (1083 fellows)

109Long-term activities8% of total fellowships

7
6
5
4

Short-term activities

3
1

All respondents gave positive feedback about the benefits of the ITTO
Fellowship Program. Figure 2 shows that the program has had significant
impacts on careers. Some of these impacts are discussed below.
Figure 2

1989-1992

1993-1999

Impacts of fellowships (206 respondents)

2000-2010

Research

Study tour

Technical document

Short training internship

Post-graduate Program

Short training course

Lecture/demonstration tour

Conference

Of all fellowships awarded, 70% have been for activities
related to reforestation and forest management, 21% havebeen for activities related to forest industry, and 9% havebeen for activities in the field of economic information andmarket intelligence. Popular fellowship topics include
sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation,
forest rehabilitation and restoration, and community or
participatory forestry. The role of forests in the mitigation ofand adaptation to climate change, particularly REDD, is afast-growing subject for fellowship applications.

Survey method andresponses
In order to assess the impact of the ITTO Fellowship
Program on capacity development in ITTO member
countries, a questionnaire was prepared based on thecontribution analysis approach recommended and adaptedby the 17th Meeting of the Senior Fellowship Officers of theUnited Nations System (United Nations 2009; Rotem et al.
2010). The questionnaire contained eleven personalquestions and 33 questions about the fellowship activity andits impacts. It was sent by email in March and April 2010 to376 ITTO fellows who completed their fellowships between
2000 and 2009. Due largely to the difficulty of contacting
fellows who completed their fellowships in the early years of
this period, the overall response rate was 55%.
Responses were received from 206 fellows in 34 ITTO
member countries: 86% were from producer countries(Africa—30%, Asia Pacific—30% and Latin America/
Caribbean—26%), 12% were from developing consumer
countries such as Nepal and China, and 2% were from

4

Findings

Great benefits

20developed consumer countries. Thirty-five percent of respondents were
women. Five percent of fellows were aged 20–29 years, 44% were aged 30–39
years, 33% were aged 40–49 years, 16% were aged 50–59 years and 2% wereaged 60 years or more. The respondents currently work at universities (27%),
research institutes (24%), governments (17%), NGOs (10%),intergovernmental organizations (6%), consulting companies (3%), industry
or trading companies (2%) and others (11%). For their fellowships, 41% of
respondents undertook post-graduate degree programs, 32% participated in
short training courses or internship programs, 12% attended international
conferences, 10% published technical documents and 5% undertook study or
demonstration tours.

ITTO Tropical Forest Update 21/1

Relevant job position
or job promotion
Improved institutional
productivity and performance
Developed new programs/
innovation
Passed knowlwedge andexperiences to others
Published papers/
books/manuals
Holding PhD or
masters degreee
Strenghtened professional
networks
Contribution to SFM
Contribution to reforestation/
forest conservation
Impact on national forest/
environmental policy
Working on international
forestry issue, including REDD
0

20

40

60

80

100

% of respondents

Return home to relevant position
The fellowship awards have clearly benefited fellows’ professional
development and improved their career prospects. More than half (59%) of
respondents obtained a relevant job position or job promotion after
completing their fellowship activities. A majority (83%) attributed theirpromotion or new job position to the skills and knowledge they gained
through the fellowship. Seventy-four percent of respondents who undertook
a post-graduate degree obtained a relevant job or promotion, compared with
71% of those who completed training internships, 67% of those who usedtheir fellowships to publish a manuals or monographs, 47% of those whose
awards facilitated participation in short-term training course participationand 42% of those who attended a conference.
Most respondents (89%) returned home immediately on completion of theirfellowship activities, 6% continued advanced study (master’s or PhD
programs) abroad and 2% took a job in a country other than their own.
Currently 10% of respondents are undertaking PhD programs abroad and
6% are working outside their home countries for international organizations
or global consulting companies related to tropical forestry and sustainable
development. Therefore, most ITTO fellows have remained in or returned totheir home countries, indicating that the ITTO Fellowship Program—whichmainly funds citizens of tropical countries—is contributing to thedevelopment of human capacity where it is needed most.

Tracking upwards: Abraham Baffoe (left) from Ghana studies a log-tracking system as part of his ITTO fellowship. Photo: A. Baffoe

Positive contribution to work
A majority of respondents (86%) reported that they have improved theirproductivity and performance in the institution in which they work. Morethan half (52%) indicated that their fellowships had enabled them to improve
institutional capacity, resulting in their achieving a relevant job position or
promotion.
Many respondents (82%) stated that they had developed new programs or
innovative ways of working that have helped to improve work performanceat their institutions. For instance, an ITTO fellow from India developed
techniques to process satellite images and light detection and ranging(LIDAR) data for monitoring and assessing forest cover, growing stock andbiomass. An ITTO fellow from Ghana developed a smoke dryer to replace
conventional kilns, thereby improving timber-processing efficiency. Many
university teachers replied that they had improved their teaching andresearch skills and developed new courses, curricula and research proposals
in tropical forestry and related disciplines.

a direct result of their fellowships, while others havecontinued their higher education inspired by theirfellowships.
The fellowships helped fellows to strengthen theirprofessional networks. A majority of respondents (86%)
reported that the contacts they developed through theirfellowships strengthened their professional networks andenhanced their work performance and productivity; somefelt they had succeeded in fostering international
collaboration through their work.

Contribution to SFM and conservation

A majority of respondents (90%) passed to others the knowledge andexperiences they acquired during their fellowships. For example, many
fellows conducted workshops and seminars where they work, trained
community members, gave lectures at universities and post-graduate
schools, and/or presented the results of the fellowships at national orinternational conferences. Seventy-three percent of respondents publishedscientific papers, books, field manuals or national language reports based on
the results of their fellowships. Some of the publications produced by fellows
during the period are listed in the box on page xx.

Almost all respondents (99%) reported that they were
promoting SFM in their countries and about 90% were also
contributing to reforestation and forest conservation. For
example, a Cameroonian ITTO fellow became a focal point
for mangrove conservation in his country under the
Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife as a result of his fellowship
research. A Philippine ITTO fellow developed a strategy at
the local level for the conservation of Philippine tropicaltimber species. The top five current interests of ITTO fellows
are: sustainable forest management (35%), biodiversity
conservation (11%), mitigation of and adaptation to climatechange (11%), reforestation and forest conservation (10%)
and efficient utilization and processing of tropicaltimber (8%).

Continuing development

Impact on policy

Most fellows have continued their professional and personal development.
Eighty-five percent of respondents now hold an advanced degree in forestry
and related disciplines at the PhD (39%) or master’s (46%) level. Amongthem, 45% of fellows responded that they had received their qualification as

A majority of respondents (83%) reported that theknowledge, skills and networks they gained from thefellowships helped them to influence national forestry andenvironmental policy in their home countries. Half said that

ITTO Tropical Forest Update 21/1

5

	
  

they have had a significant impact on policymaking. For
example, an ITTO fellow from the Democratic Republic of
the Congo led an initiative to improve the legal frameworkfor small-scale logging in the country’s Orientale province,
contributing to the national effort to combat illegal logging
by small-scale loggers. Ghanaian ITTO fellows contributed
to an ongoing forest policy review program in their country
and played key roles in national policymaking as membersof several national committees. An ITTO fellow from
Venezuela was commissioned to work with the legal adviser
to the Forestry Department’s Director General to draft amanagement plan for Ticoporo Forest Reserve, developing a
new management model based on shared responsibility
between local communities and the state government whichbecame fully effective in 2008. An Indian ITTO fellow has
been requested by the country’s federal Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests to investigate diseases affecting
teak and to propose appropriate management strategies forthe country.
Just under half (44%) of respondents are currently working
on international forestry issues. Consistent with global
trends, many are working on issues related to climatechange, especially REDD.

Host institution and country
A majority of respondents (81%) undertook their activities
at either universities or research institutes. The remaining
respondents carried out their activities within NGOs (5%),
governments (4%), intergovernmental organizations (4%),
industries (1%) or other (4%). Almost all respondents (99%)
were satisfied with the quality of their host institutions andfelt that they provided relevant expertise and adequate
resources for their fellowships.
About 80% of the host institutions were located in ITTO
member countries. The most popular ITTO host countries
accounted for half of all fellows: United States (11%), Nepal(7%), Philippines (7%), Indonesia (4%), Ghana (4%), France(4%), Canada (3%), Germany (3%), Netherlands (3%),
Australia (2%) and Gabon (2%). Among non-member
countries, Costa Rica was very popular among fellows from
Latin America and the Caribbean, accounting for about 40%of the fellowships awarded in that region.
South–south cooperation has gained increasing expression
in the ITTO Fellowship Program over the last decade. About
two-thirds (64%) of respondents conducted their activities
in ITTO developing member countries (45%) or in nonmember developing countries (19%). Thirty-six percent of
fellows conducted their activities in their own countries—
mainly master’s or PhD research or the preparation oftechnical documents. This proportion includes people who
enrolled in universities abroad but undertook their thesis
research on an issue related to tropical forests, tropical forest
industry or community livelihood improvement in theirown countries. This phenomenon is at least partly due to theceiling on the fellowship value (US$10 000), which is usually

6

ITTO Tropical Forest Update 21/1

Humming along: Peruvian Constantino Aucca’s fellowship promoted community
conservation of spatuletail hummingbird habitat. Photo: ECOAN

insufficient to support graduate programs in developed countries. On theother hand, most short-course participants took courses abroad, particularly
in developed countries such as the United States, the Netherlands, France,
the United Kingdom and Australia, since the fellowships are usually
sufficient to cover the full cost of such courses.

Towards a third decade
The results of the impact assessment survey show that the ITTO Fellowship
Program is having a significant impact on the development of professional
capacity in ITTO producer member countries. Admittedly the survey reflects
the views of ITTO fellows only; soliciting the views of employers and hostinstitutions as well would provide a more holistic assessment. Nevertheless,based on the findings of the survey it is possible to discern ways in which theprogram can be improved as it enters its third decade.

Variety of activities
The ITTO Fellowship Program is unique, differing from other programs inthe variety of activities it supports and as the only specializedintergovernmental funding source for increasing capacity in the tropicalforest sector. Many fellows appreciated the wide range of activities supportedby the program because it can meet the needs of diverse applicants at
differing stages of their professional careers. For example, a small grant for
post-graduate study helps young and mid-career professionals to advancetheir knowledge and expertise and widen their career prospects. Short-term
training courses, internships and study tours help young and mid-career
professionals to fill gaps in knowledge and skills and have an immediate
impact on improving work performance and efficiency. Conference
participation enables young, mid-career and senior professionals to share
their knowledge and experiences and to develop international networks for
future collaboration. The publication of manuals and books gives recognition
to the work achieved by mid-career and senior fellows and helps field
workers and other professionals by providing them with up-to-date, practicalinformation. All types of activity had positive effects on career development
and work performance. The ITTO Fellowship Program, therefore, should
continue to support a broad range of activities.

In the past decade there has been a preponderance of
fellowship applications for the activities related toreforestation and forest management (82%) over forest
industry (11%) and economic information and market
intelligence (7%). To achieve the objective of the program ina balanced manner, more applications to promote theefficient use and processing of tropical timber and improved
information on the international trade of tropical forest
products should be encouraged.

Increase in the number of host institutions
Fellowship applications are currently concentrated on
certain training programs and post-graduate programs in a
relatively small number of renowned institutions withexcellent training capacities and facilities. Exploring
partnerships with other training institutions and universities
specialized in tropical forestry, sustainable forest
management, wood science and industry and climatechange could open new avenues for capacity-building,especially in light of the new objectives set out in theInternational Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006.

Opportunities for a wider range of nationalities
Another challenge is to expand the benefits of the ITTO
Fellowship Program to nationals of a wider range ofcountries. In the decade to 2010, more than half the
fellowships have been granted to nationals of sevencountries—Ghana (10%), Nepal (9%), Cameroon (9%), India(8%), Colombia (7%), Indonesia (7%) and Peru (5%)—mainly
because many good applications have been received fromthose countries. The program needs to be better promoted inother ITTO member countries through such avenues as
ITTO contact points, forestry schools, research institutes,
course and conference organizers and forestry journals.

Funding
The ITTO Fellowship Program has received a total voluntary
contribution of about US$7.9 million, three-quarters ofwhich was provided by the Government of Japan (75%), withsignificant contributions from the governments of theUnited States, the Netherlands, Australia and others (Figure3). Eighty percent of these funds have been expended on
fellowship awards and the remainder to meet administrativeand operational costs.
Annual funding was stable in the last decade at about
US$400 000 thanks mainly to the regular contributions of
the governments of Japan and the United States. However,
due to increasing demand for support under the programand a gradual increase in the cost of fellowship activities(including administration costs), the program now faces afundraising challenge. Stephanie Caswell proposes a
potential solution in Out on a limb in this edition (page 24):that is, the ITTO Fellowship Program could be included as
one of the core ITTO activities to be funded under theadministrative budget, thereby shifting the allocation of atleast the operational costs of the program from voluntary to
mandatory contributions. Contributions from other

Contributors

Figure 3	Fellowship voluntary contributions by governments(percentage of US$7.9 million)
Others (1)Australia (4)Netherlands (7)USA (13)

Japan (75)governments, foundations and the private sector should also
be sought to ensure that the program continues its importantrole in building capacity in tropical forestry.

Alumni network
ITTO fellows are important assets for their countries and
ITTO and their increasing knowledge and experiences
should be shared with others. A majority (93%) of fellows
surveyed showed interest in joining an ITTO fellowshipalumni network, should one be created, to share theirexperiences and ideas. Many issues concerning tropicalforests are not just local, national or regional but also global,
which require collaborative solutions. A web-based
discussion group for ITTO fellowship alumni could serve asa platform for innovative ideas on tropical SFM, including
the role of tropical forests in climate change mitigation andadaptation.
Two decades of the ITTO Fellowship Program have shown it
be effective in developing capacity in the tropical forest
sector. In its third decade, the ITTO Fellowship Program
needs to review its scope and objectives in accordance with
the ITTA 2006, which will come into force soon, to ensurethat it contributes efficiently to meeting ITTO’s new
objectives and priorities and the demands of its member
countries.
A detailed report of the survey (Aoki 2010) is available on
request from the ITTO secretariat.

References
Aoki, C. 2006. ITTO Fellowship Program: contribution to capacitybuilding in sustainable forest management. Tropical Forest Update
16(4): 22–25.
Aoki, C. 2010. Impact assessment survey of the ITTO Fellowship
Programme. Paper presented at the 18th Meeting of Senior Fellowship
Programme Officers of United Nations Organizations and Host Country
Agencies, UNESCO, Paris, 2–3 November 2010.
Rotem, A., Zinovieff, M. and Goubarev, A. 2010. A framework forevaluating the impact of the United Nations fellowship programs.
Human Resources for Health 8(7): 1–8.
United Nations 2009. Final report of the 17th Meeting of Senior
Fellowship Officers of the United Nations System and Host country
Agencies. International Maritime Organization, London, 17–19
November 2008. United Nations, New York, USA.
ITTO Tropical Forest Update 21/1

7