[hr-education-na] Scholarship/fellowship Human Rights Defenders Unit OAS

SCHOLARSHIP-FELLOWSHIP "HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS UNIT"

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights offers a human rights
fellowship for its Human Rights Defenders Unit.

1) Address: Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights, 1889 F. Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, United
States of America. Contact person: Marisol Blanchard.

2) Start and End Dates: From September 10, 2006 to September 10, 2007

3) Deadline to present applications: August 10, 2006 

4) Length of the Fellowship/Internship: One (1) Year

5) Language: Spanish and another OAS official language

6) Objectives: To provide an opportunity for young lawyers from OAS
Member States to understand and apply the mechanisms of protection of
the Inter-American Human Rights system. The IACHR is an autonomous
organ of the Organization of American States (OAS). Its mandate is
found in the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights.
The IACHR represents all of the member States of the OAS. The Human
Rights Defenders Unit is in charge of coordinating the activities of
the Executive Secretariat in this area, directly under the Executive
Secretary.

7) Program: 
a) To assist with tasks of the Executive Secretariat of the
Commission, under the supervision of its specialists during the
period of the fellowship; In particular, to work with the Human
Rights Defenders Unit; b) to commit to working after the fellowship
in the area of human rights in the participants country; 
c) To commit to giving one presentation or seminar on the
inter-American system for the protection of human rights in the year
following the end of the fellowship in an institution in the
participants country (for instance, in a law faculty, university,
etc.); and 
d) At the end of the fellowship, to present to the Executive
Secretariat of the IACHR a detailed report on activities carried out
by the fellow.

8) Requirements: 
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of an OAS Member State; 
- Have graduated in law at an officially recognized university (send
a copy of the degree and grades obtained);
- Have a demonstrable professional interest in the legal field of
human rights; People with experience and knowledge in the field of
human rights defenders are strongly encouraged to apply;
- Have received a university degree in law after January 1, 2000; 
- Have experience in a human rights organization
- Be fluent in Spanish and another OAS official language (attach
certificates testifying thereto)
- Present a five page paper on the following topic: How we can
strengthen the protection of human rights defenders through the
mechanisms of the Inter-American System on Human Rights? ;
Additionally, please write a brief description on your reasons for
seeking this position.

9) Benefits: 
The OAS provides a total stipend of US$24,000.00 for the period
covered by the fellowship, that is to say, US$2,000.00 a month for 12
months, economy class air tickets from the participants country of
residence to Washington, D.C. and back, and health insurance.

10) Responsibilities of the Selected Candidates:
- It is the responsibility of each selected candidate to process and
obtain the necessary visa(s) to enter the country of study, and/or
transit visa (if applicable) on a timely matter. The OAS will not
incur in any expense related to immigration documents or visas.
- It is the responsibility of each selected candidate to arrive to
the study site early enough in order to attend the opening of the
course on the date established by the institution offering the
course.
- Once an applicant has been selected, he/she should confirm the
scholarship with the OAS/ Department of Human Development that she/he
will be available to take the course. In the event that a candidate
accepts a scholarship but cannot take the course, for whatever
reason, must immediately advise the OAS Department of Human
Development, so they can decide which course of action to take.
- The scholarship recipient and/or the sponsoring institution will be
responsible for the cost of the airfare or any additional costs
incurred, if the student withdraws the scholarship without proper
authorization from the Department of Human Development, fails to
travel on the scheduled dates, or changes routes after the ticket has
been issued.

11) Presentation of Candidates: 
The complete applications and all documentation required OAS form 98
(application for scholarship) and OAS form 342 (certificate of
language proficiency if applicable) must be sent to the Department of
Human Development of the OAS, 1889 F Street, NW, Washington, DC
20006, USA, before the deadline for presentation of applications. OAS
Form 98 may be obtained from the OAS offices of the General
Secretariat in the Member states or via the fellowship application
page using the following link:
http://www.educoas.org/Portal/docs/SOLICITUDDEBECAS.pdf .

Please note that the official announcement is available via the
Educational Portal of the Americas Web page at:
http://www.educoea.org.






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