Applications for the Green Foreign Policy Fellowship are now open

Decades after the first green party entered parliament, and more than 20 years after the adoption of the Global Greens Charter, green foreign policy remains an open-ended question. The international order established after the end of WWII is in free fall with unforeseeable consequences for global peace, stability and justice. At the same time, old alliances are put into question amid rising tensions and destabilizing trade war practices, all while the planet swiftly approaches a tipping point towards catastrophic climate change. In this backdrop, the Greens are evolving, expressing more and more a renewed vision for security and foreign affairs.

Indeed, a recent planet-wide study commissioned by hbs Thessaloniki has confirmed a steep trend in Greens publicly expressing views on foreign & security policy. Covering the last decade, the researchers found that 80% of texts (press releases, opinion articles, interviews emanating from the Greens) with references to foreign policy were dated from 2021 to 2024, with 40% of them in 2024 alone. But what is green foreign policy, exactly? A previous study commissioned by hbs Thessaloniki examined statutory texts of green parties from across the world and codified a few points of reference. Moreover, the Green European Foundation has also worked on the green approaches to security and defence, adding more data to a much needed discussion.

Our fellowship aims to support scholars, practitioners and experts from across the world to galvanize these critical discussions, provide space, access and experience in the realm of progressive foreign & security policy. The programme will focus critically on how to best advance a green foreign & security policy, elaborating on the points of reference found and exploring new pathways in this process. The fellowship will cover participants’ travel and accommodation costs to attend relevant events, it will provide a stipend during the first semester when material will mainly be produced, while supporting the presentation of the participants’ work along with networking activities during the second semester.

The key objectives of this fellowship opportunity are:

• To provide a learning and networking experience for emerging thinkers in green foreign policy and progressive foreign & security policy narrative more broadly. As a result, participants will be better able to pursue their policy, research and advocacy aims and tap into a global network of like-minded change-makers;
• To enable a more data-based and cross-regional debate on green foreign policy and progressive foreign & security policy more broadly;
• To serve as a mechanism through which emerging progressive thinkers can identify issues that require further debate and/or advocacy, and where exchange between relevant actors can be facilitated.
• To produce new material and codify data for practical, complete and convincing foreign & security policy alternatives to the realist approach in international relations.

WHAT WE EXPECT

• Plan ahead: Once selected, fellows will be asked to provide an analytical strategy outlining what goals they are aiming at and how they plan to achieve them. Please note that the material should be produced mainly during the first semester of the fellowship. The second semester should emphasize on presentation of your work, exchange and networking.
• Material: The formats of material produced can vary, from articles, to papers or anything else deemed necessary or appropriate.
• Reporting: Short progress reports will be required monthly.
• Social media & Communication: Participants are invited to actively engage with the Heinrich Böll Foundation over social media channels to report on their experiences and findings. Fellows should be able to provide quick and concise statements and messages from any events they attend in the auspices of this fellowship, sharing lessons amongst each other and with a broader public. The Foundation will also publish a profile of each participant on the website of the Thessaloniki Office.
• Language: Please note that fluency in English is required.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Stipend: A sum of 6.000,00 euros (brutto) will be provided in instalments during the first semester of the fellowship.
• Travel Costs: To the extent possible, the Heinrich Böll Foundation will cover the cost of travel within the auspices of this fellowship.
• Visa Processing: If needed, the Foundation will support the visa application process by providing an official letter of invitation. Please note that the Foundation cannot guarantee that visas will be processed in time.
• Visibility & Dissemination: Selected fellows will be promoted on social media and other media channels to create a visible online presence around their aims and to amplify important political messages related to their work.
• Alumni network: Candidates should apply with the goal of becoming part of a growing network of progressive thinkers who support each other in advancing a new vision for foreign & security policy. Upon completion of their fellowship, participants will be awarded the title of Green Foreign Policy Scholar and will be part of the Heinrich Böll Foundation Thessaloniki Alumni Network.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

We seek candidates who are emerging or experienced thinkers in the fields of foreign & security policy, with an interest to work with a progressive lens on a range of issues. Indicatively, issues such as the universality of human rights and military intervention, normative foreign policy, feminist foreign policy and human security, climate diplomacy, game theory in international cooperation and good faith, the responsibility to protect, or decolonial approaches to trade and resources. In essence, building, highlighting gaps and elaborating upon the initial findings of the green foreign & security policy narrative. Qualified candidates will be actively engaged in outlining the green foreign & security policy narrative in at least one of the following ways:

• as students, researchers and thinkers in academia or think tanks (e.g. critically reviewing green foreign policy principles through International Relations theory);
• as elected officials, policy advisors or other foreign & security policy professionals at national or international level (e.g. implementing and adapting the green foreign & security policy and narrative, feminist foreign policy, the Women, Peace & Security agenda);

Experience and applicant profile:

We encourage young graduates with a bachelor degree in international relations or political science to apply. We also welcome more experienced profiles, such as practitioners, prospective or current PhD students and PhD holders in pertinent fields.

Regional background:

We seek candidates from all continents.

Applications should consist of:

1. Curriculum Vitae: Please use a Europass format. Prioritising, make sure the CV does not exceed 3 pages.
2. Motivation letter: Using examples, please explain why this fellowship makes sense for you (max 300 words).
3. Concept note: Please outline in no more than 2 pages, what is the biggest challenge you would like to tackle during this fellowship from among the elements of green foreign & security policy. How do you propose to deal with it and what are the concrete steps that you are planning to take?

Application Feedback:

Please note that you may be invited to a short online interview in June in case your application is short-listed. Please read the instructions carefully, applications not in line with the instructions given will not be considered.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION HERE

You need to know

·       Please note that Early Birds’ applications dated up to the 15th of May will be prioritised in the selection procedure. Copies of certificates mentioned in your application may be requested.

·       We particularly welcome the applications from non males, BIPOC, members of the lgbtqi+ community and people with disabilities.

·       The Heinrich Böll Foundation is committed to combatting sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and implements a policy for Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH).

About the Heinrich Böll Foundation Thessaloniki Office

The Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Thessaloniki Office is part of an international network of Offices in 35 countries, with activities in about 60 regions of the world. Inspired by contemporary political ecology, it works on issues such as energy democracy, democracy and human rights, participatory processes, and gender equality with a view to socio-ecological transformation. The Foreign & Security Policy Programme contributes to the development of convincing alternatives to the dominant but deadlocked approach of realism in international practice, focusing on the narratives of feminist and green foreign policy through data collection and analysis guided by diplomatic practice, critical theory and International Relations theory.