Professional Development Program
FELLOWSHIP "DEFENDERS UNIT"

OAS/DHD/CIR.004/2008

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: mblanchard@oas.org

2)  Start and End Dates:    April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009

3)  Deadline to present applications:  February 10^th, 2008

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 participant’s 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 participant’s 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 participant’s country of residence to Washington, D.C. and back[1]., and health insurance. 

10)  Responsibilities of the Selected Candidate:

• The OAS will submit the necessary documents to certify the selection. It is of entire responsibility of the selected person to request and obtain on time the necessary visa(s) to enter the U.S and the corresponding transit(s) (if applicable). The OAS will not be responsible for any costs relating to obtaining visas or transfer documentation.
   

• Each Fellowship recipient is responsible for arriving in time for the commencement of activities on the date established for the Fellowship.  
   

• Upon selection, the candidate must confirm to the Department of Human Development and the Executive Secretariat his/her acceptance of the Fellowship, in order for the OAS to proceed with making the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between their country of origin and the study location or, if the scholarship is refused, to appoint another candidate. In the event that a candidate accepts the Fellowship but cannot take the program, for whatever reason, the candidate must immediately advise the OAS Department of Human Development.
   

• The Fellowship recipient will be responsible for the cost of the airfare or any additional costs incurred, if the selected candidate, after having accepted the fellowship and after the Department of Human Development has purchased the air fare ticket, declines the Fellowship.  The same applies if the selected candidate, 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 presented through the OAS Form 98 (application for scholarship) and OAS form 342 (certificate of language proficiency if applicable), as well as all the other required documentation, must be sent to: Department of Human Development of  the OAS, 1889 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA, before the deadline for presentation of applications.

The 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/en/oasbecas/formspd.aspx?culture=en&navid=282
It is necessary to take into account that the instant fellowship is for professional development and not for studies.

Please note this official announcement is available Scholarship’s Web page at: http://www.educoea.org. 

Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to: Scholarships@oas.org

This fellowship is offered thanks to the contribution of the Government of Spain, in the frame of the project “Promoción de la Participación y los Derechos Humanos de los Pueblos Indígenas de las Américas”