2013 Disability Rights scholarship program; CCAPS Pre-doctoral Fellowship; and more opportunities

2013 Disability Rights Scholarship Program

The Disability Rights Scholarship Program will offer up to 20 awards to individuals from Nepal and select countries in Africa and Latin America for LLM study beginning in fall 2013. The program aims to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, and through legal channels, help overcome the effect of exclusionary practices, so that persons with disabilities achieve a state of full and effective participation and inclusion in society.

The program intends to provide disability rights advocates and lawyers with the necessary expertise to develop new legislation, jurisprudence, impact litigation, and scholarship, thereby taking advantage of the innovations and opportunities offered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD, which entered into force in May 2008, presents a paradigm shift in the field of disability rights and provides a framework for developing innovative legal arguments.

With the knowledge and networks gained through the program, we expect that Fellows will have the ability to challenge rights violations in their home countries by drafting enforceable legislation consistent with the CRPD, utilizing enforcement mechanisms set forth in the Convention, taking forward disability rights litigation requesting CRPD-compliant remedies, and engaging in disability rights advocacy. Alumni will also be qualified to train and mentor new lawyers in disability rights through clinical programs.

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
Fellows will be clustered at select institutions that demonstrate cutting-edge capacity for legal education in disability rights, and are interested in forming a consortium of schools dedicated to developing this field and improving their own capacity with an international perspective. In nurturing such a network, the Program strives to encourage law faculties to incorporate disability rights into existing human rights curricula, and participate in collaboratively-designed workshops and research efforts in the field.

DEADLINE: December 10, 2012
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Pre-doctoral Fellowship, The Climate Change and African Political Stability Program

The Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program offers up to three pre-doctoral fellowships each academic year. The CCAPS fellowship program aims to support the development of the next generation of researchers and thought leaders on the topic of climate change and political stability in Africa.

Fellows are encouraged to present their research within and outside the Strauss Center, collaborate on papers or projects with other fellows and faculty, participate in the research activities of CCAPS, attend and take an active role in CCAPS and Strauss Center seminars and conferences, and immerse themselves in the greater University community during their appointment.

Eligibility

Fellows must be registered in a PhD program. Fellowships are available to advanced PhD students, with preference given to those who have made substantial progress towards the completion of their dissertation. Fellows are expected to work on — and ideally complete — their doctoral dissertations during the fellowship.

CCAPS invites applications from all disciplines, including both the social and natural sciences, as they pertain to relevant topics to the CCAPS program (see Areas of Research below). CCAPS encourages applications from women, minorities, and citizens of all countries. Applicants do not have to be attending a U.S. university or have U.S. citizenship to apply.

Areas of Research

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin is a nonpartisan research center that engages the best minds in academia, government, and the private sector to develop unique, policy-relevant solutions to complex global challenges. The Strauss Center’s program on Climate Change and African Political Stability conducts research in three core areas seeking to: investigate where and how climate change poses threats to stability in Africa, identify strategies to support accountable and effective governance in Africa, and evaluate the effectiveness of international aid to help African societies adapt to climate change.

CCAPS will consider applicants working on a broad range of topics related to climate change, political stability, and security in Africa. Suitable topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Climate change vulnerability in Africa
• Potential impacts of climate change on political stability or security in Africa
• Strategies for addressing climate change challenges in Africa

Stipend Information

CCAPS offers pre-doctoral fellowships in residence at the University of Texas at Austin for one academic year (September-May). The fellowship includes a nine-month stipend of $24,000 and one round-trip airline ticket.

Applicants should note that the stipend awarded might not cover all living costs in Austin during the fellowship period. Applicants should be prepared to cover any additional expenses themselves or through other external funding sources. Applicants who must obtain a J1 visa in order to participate in the fellowship are required to provide proof of health insurance when applying for the J1 visa. The CCAPS fellowship does not provide health insurance.

If you have questions about the application process, please contact ccaps(at)strausscenter.org.

DEADLINE: February 15, 2013
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Job Opportunity: Senior Analyst, International Crisis Group, Senegal

Based in Dakar, Senegal, or the region, the successful candidate will research and produce reports on security, conflict, local politics, governance, social and development issues, analysing long and short-term challenges to stabilisation, security and development in the Sahel region, and recommending measures to achieve these goals.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct extensive research into prevailing security, political and social conditions in the Sahel region to include Niger and Mali;
• Provide analysis and advice on key security issues facing the Sahel region to promote stability, security and development;
• Prepare at least three detailed reports per year or the equivalent in briefing papers, setting out relevant research findings and policy recommendations;
• Carry out advocacy and media work to disseminate research findings and recommendations;
• Work closely and liaise with representatives of governments and international and local organisations in gathering information, seeking input and feedback, and supporting the distribution of Crisis Group reports and recommendations.

Requirements:

• Extensive knowledge of politics and society in the Sahel region, with significant field experience in the region;
• Experience in political analysis and conflict prevention;
• At least five to seven years professional experience in government, academia, international organisations, NGOs or journalism;
• Excellent writing, editing and analytical skills and ability to formulate well-targeted policy recommendations;
• Written and spoken fluency in English and French required and proficiency in a local language preferred;
• Masters degree in international relations, political science, journalism, sociology or equivalent through experience;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including good public presentation skills, and a very strong capacity for effective teamwork;
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced and often demanding environment

Applications should be submitted in English and include a CV, cover letter, contact details of at least 3 referees and one short writing sample pertaining to conflict issues in Sahel. In the cover letter (which should be sent as an e-mail) the candidate should briefly propose his or her own ideas on themes for two future Crisis Group reports relating to conflict in Sahel and briefly describe how she/he would research them (in no more than two pages). Please refer to Crisis Group’s website for previous publications: www.crisisgroup.org

Please send applications by email to open.positions(at)crisisgroup.org, including “Analyst, Sahel” in the subject line.

Please note that only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.  No phone calls please.

DEADLINE: Recruitment will remain open until the appropriate candidate is appointed.

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Dissertation Fellowships, Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa, Social Science Research Council

Job Opportunity: Deputy Representative, UN Women, Sudan

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

The scope of work of the UN Women Deputy Representative requires experience and in-depth understanding of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues, as well as management and programming expertise, to translate UN WOMEN’s strategic plans into effective development initiatives and results. It also requires developing mutually reinforcing partnerships with relevant Government counterparts, UN organizations, CSOs, and with bilateral and non-traditional donors in order to promote inter-agency partnerships, support for UN reform, and mobilization of visibility and resources to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The overall development objective of the Sudan AWP 2012/2013 is to consolidate efforts that contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment in Sudan. It focuses on 4 outcomes; viz. women’s political participation, peace building, ending violence against women and gender responsive budgeting and planning. Key strategies for the implementation of the programme include capacity building, advocacy, gender mainstreaming, evidence, information and data collection and the use of media to highlight and inform the general population of Sudan.

UN Women Sudan is now seeking a qualified candidate to take up the position of Deputy Representative. The Deputy Representative reports to the UN Women Representative who provides the strategic leadership, guidance and oversight of programs and operations, formulation and execution of UNW CO strategic programs and plans of actions in line with UNW and UN development efforts in the country. Under the overall guidance of the UNW Representative the Deputy Representative will provide technical and advisory support to the UN system to ensure coherence, coordination and alignment with national gender priorities. She/He will work closely with the UN Women Gender Coordination Advisor at the UN Women Regional Centre and the UN Coordination Division in New York.

Functions:

Advisory Technical Support on UN Coordination, Joint Programming and Reform:

• Lead UN Women’s technical and thematic contributions for gender mainstreaming in UN Joint planning, programme design and strategic partnership building in accordance to the UN Coordination systems in the country.
• Manage a portfolio of on-going and future joint programmes on Gender Equality through technical monitoring, administrative and financial supervision, evaluation and reporting.
• Design tools and implement capacity building training activities to enhance skills and knowledge on gender mainstreaming in UN Joint Programming and Coordination processes at country level.
• Establish and maintain alliances and partnerships with various inter-agency partners and working groups to ensure active participation and promotion of UN Women’s vision and mission within the UNDAF and other UN inter-agency frameworks, in close partnership with other UNCT gender advisors/specialists.
• Monitor and report on the allocation and use of UN resources allocated to gender equality by the UN system and propose changes to maximize use of resources.
• Prepare briefing materials for the UNW Representative on issues to be discussed in UNCT and other events and meetings. Follow up on required action/outstanding issues and report on outcome/result. Alert UNW Representative on critical issues for action to be addressed.
• Participate in global practice network on coordination, sharing and learning best practices to keep abreast of and/or to contribute to on-going debates and strategic thinking and to exchange experience and/or seek support on coordination issues affecting UNW and UN system programs and operations.

Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Results-Based Reporting:

• Ensure individual project interventions are developed within the overall country programme contributing to the achievements of both immediate and overall UN Women  Annual Work Plan.
• Manage a portfolio of on-going and future programmes through technical monitoring and administrative and financial supervision.
• Ensure overall programme and individual project work plans and budgets are developed and implementation modalities agreed upon.
• Initiate and lead capacity building programmes for government and NGOs.
• Substantively monitor programme/project implementation. Assess implementation and financial management, analyze progress in achievement of objectives and results, propose direction and solutions, distill lessons learned and best practices.
• Ensure that programme/project reviews are undertaken timely and all reporting requirements are met.

Knowledge Management and Communications:

• Collect and share good practices and lessons learned on coordination and gender mainstreaming in UN system programming and development at country level to contribute to development of knowledge products and tools in UN Women.
• Lead the Country Office’s efforts in developing and implementing a communications strategy in line with the UN Women corporate guidelines on communications.
• Act as the Focal Person for the Country Office on Communications and advise the Representative on all communications events and activities.
• Coordinate and/or carry out information and communication activities to ensure coherence with Corporate UN Women and UNCT information and communication goals and objectives.

Support to UNW Representative on Advocacy, Representation, Partnerships, and Resource Mobilization:

• Build and maintain effective partnerships with various stakeholders at regional, national and local levels, for delivery of the women’s rights agenda in the country.
• Represent UN Women in government, partners and UN meetings as appropriate and ensure a full brief to the Country Representative.
• Identify and follow-up opportunities for resource mobilization for UN Women’s work in the country in consultation with the Country Representative.
• Support the UN Women Representative in managing activities and other promotional events to engage bilateral and multilateral institutions/donors, private sector and civil society to expand and/or sustain interest and resources for UNW programs and joint UN system programs.
• Act as OIC in the absence of the UN Women Representative.
• Perform any other duties as may be requested by the UN Women Country Representative and the Regional Director.

Impact of Results:

The successful management of UN Women programmes and UN Joint Coordination activities will facilitate and enhance the ability of UNW to work effectively and efficiently impact on women’s lives in the country – hence achieving the core principles of the MDGs. The key results also impact on the success of the UN Country Team activities, strengthening of overall coordination capacity, implementation of the UN System reform and on the design and operation of UN activities, creation of strategic partnerships for UNCT programming including UNDAF implementation and support of national strategies and priorities.