Danielle de St Jorre Scholarship
The scholarship has been established to honour the memory of the late Danielle de St Jorre, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Environment and Tourism of the Republic of the Seychelles, and a member of the Governing Board of the International Ocean Institute, in consideration of all she did in her short life for the benefit of her country, small island developing states and the world at large. She died in 1997 at the age of 54.
Since 1999, the IOI, through the support received from the Ocean Science and Research Foundation (OSRF), presents a Scholarship of Swiss Francs 10,000 annually for one woman from a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) involved in marine-related research activities. The candidate may use this scholarship to attend specialised training programmes in ocean affairs. Candidates are selected in consultation with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), and the scholarship is administered by the IOI Headquarters.
Calls for applications for the Danielle de St Jorre Scholarship are usually issued towards the end of each calendar year; inquiries or expressions of interest may be sent to IOI HQ on ioihq@ioihq.org.mt requesting an application and application guidelines.
Scholarships Awarded since 2000 have been assigned on an annual basis to deserving candidates from the Seychelles, Barbados, Mauritius, Fiji, Tonga, Cuba, Samoa, Jamaica, St Vincent & the Grenadines, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda.
The Danielle de St Jorre Scholarship (update from 2020)
Since 2000 the IOI has awarded the annual scholarship to one woman from a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) involved in marine related activities to improve her knowledge of the subject by helping fund participation in the IOI’s Training Programme on Ocean Governance: Policy, Law and Management (Canada).
The IOI Canada training programme is currently being offered in an online format due to pandemic-related travel and in-person meeting restrictions; the Danielle de St Jorre Scholarship is therefore on hold for the time being, since scholarship funds are normally utilised to cover travel and accommodation related expenses connected with in-person attendance.
Further information on the training programmes offered by IOI Canada, including application guidelines, eligibility and evaluation criteria, can be found below:
2019 Scholarship
Ms Joyce Samuelu-Ah Leong from the Solomon Islands was awarded the Danielle de St Jorre Scholarship to fund her attendance at the Ocean Governance: Policy, Law and Management Course held in 2019 in Dalhousie, organised by IOI Canada. She reported back on her experience:
"Having completed this course, I am very fortunate and privileged to be part of a network of ‘Ocean Mafia’ as the late Elisabeth Mann Borgese, founder of IOI has referred to for the participants and alumni of the IOI Ocean Governance Training. The training has renewed my passion that I have with 16 years of working experience in marine conservation and fisheries management. The critical lessons learnt from the training re-emphasise the working together of all those with Ocean interests such as the ocean users and ocean caretakers to ensure that the largest Earth resource continues to provide the means of lives for our people as it has since the beginning of time. Working in a resource use sector of the ocean, commercial and industrial fisheries is perhaps one of the largest threat to fish stocks and Ocean ecosystems and a challenge that fisheries managers face daily. For me, this training, has shed light on key international ocean governance principles that regions and countries have to streamline into their regional and national policies to be effective in the management and protection of the Ocean and its resources. For this and the many lessons learnt from this training, I am proud to say that I am an Ocean Mafia and will utilise all my new found skills in my role as a fisheries management adviser within my region, the Pacific region. Thank you again, IOI!"
2018 Scholarship
Ms Maritza Queeley from St Kitts and Nevis was awarded the Danielle de St Jorre Scholarship to fund her attendance at the Ocean Governance: Policy, Law and Management Course held in 2018 in Dalhousie, organised by IOI Canada. She reported back on her experience:
“Within my capacity as Port State Control Officer I saw this training as an opportunity to enhance my knowledge of the ocean and to be in a better position to develop my Department’s ability to address activities which undermines or threatens the ocean’s health and value. Now, upon completion of the IOI Training Programme, I see practical avenues where my training can be used to provide essential information about coastal states’ obligations through application of the above topics. I am truly honoured to have received the Danielle de St Jorre scholarship to attend this year’s training program. Thanks to the International Ocean Institute I have greater understanding and skills regarding the ocean which can never be replaced, only enhanced.”