OHCHR Minorities Fellowship Programme
The Minorities Fellowship Programme (MFP) was launched by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2005.
The MFP is held annually and currently has two linguistic versions: The English language programme has been running since 2005 and the Arabic language programme started in 2007. The Arabic language component began as a two-week pilot and gradually expanded to five weeks in 2011. The duration of the programmes varied until 2011, when both programmes were decided to last 5 weeks and coincide with the session of the Forum on Minority Issues.
Through the MFP, the OHCHR aims to give persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities an opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with international human rights in general and minority rights in particular. The MFP is intended to assist organizations and communities in protecting and promoting the rights of minorities the fellows belong to.
The Fellows are based at the OHCHR Geneva, Switzerland. The MFP is interactive and consists of briefings on several topics (e.g. the UN system, OHCHR work, human rights mechanisms and instruments), fellows also undertake individual and group assignments.
At the end of the MFP, the fellows should have a general knowledge of the United Nations system, international human rights instruments and mechanisms in general and those relevant to minorities in particular and be capable of further training their communities/organizations.
Fellows are entitled to the following: a return ticket (economy class) from the country of residence to Geneva; basic health insurance for the duration of the Programme; a stipend to cover modest accommodation and other living expenses for the duration of the Programme.Who can apply?
1. The candidate must belong to a national, ethnic, linguistic or religious minority group (persons who do not belong to a minority group will not be taken into consideration, even if they have close links with minority communities and/or organizations)
NOTE:
If your community identifies as indigenous, please do not apply to this programme but to our indigenous fellowship programme. Please note that the indigenous fellowship is a separate programme and has different application forms and deadlines.
2. Formal education should not be a limitation to participation in the Minorities Fellowship Programme, if relevant experience can be demonstrated.
3. Candidates should have ability, willingness and possibility to train other persons belonging to minorities upon return to their respective communities/organizations and should agree to do so.
4. The candidates must have a good working knowledge of the language in which the programme is imparted (i.e. English or Arabic).
5. The candidate should be proposed and his/her candidacy supported by his/her organization and/or community. It is desirable that the sponsoring organization has a firm constituency or membership, is representative, undertakes work on minority issues and is composed of persons belonging to minorities.
6. The overall goal of the Minorities Fellowship Programme is to offer persons belonging to minorities the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in the field of international human rights in order to assist their organizations and communities in protecting and promoting human and minority rights. Therefore, it is important that the candidate proposed and nominated by a minority organization or community be someone who will return to his or her NGO to work in this field.
DEADLINE: March 29, 2013
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Postgraduate Research Studentships at The Open University
The Faculty of Social Sciences at the Open University invites applications for two full-time PhD studentships for three years and two part-time PhD fee waivers for six years commencing October 2013. These students are available for UK/EU and international applicants. The Faculty has a thriving research culture and is engaged in world-class, critical and agenda setting research in fields such as human geography, culture, citizenship, identities, governance, criminology and international development and innovation. We are committed to the enhancement and development of this culture as a priority in our mission. Our research is supported by two University Centres of Research Excellence, an emerging University Centre of Research Excellence, an ESRC Research Centre and a Faculty Research Centre as well as by our six academic department.
DEADLINE: April 30, 2013
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Fellowship: Peace, Security and Development Fellowships for African Scholars, University of Nairobi
The African Leadership Centre (ALC) was established in June 2010 as a joint initiative of King’s College London and the University of Nairobi. The ALC is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Peace, Security and Development Fellowships for African Scholars starting in September 2013. This Fellowship covers an 18-month period, comprising of a rigorous training programme on peace, security and development, which includes a 12-Month Master’s (M.Sc.) programme at King’s College London and an attachment to an African University to undertake an independent research project. The Fellowship programme is designed to expose junior African scholars to the complexities of Security and Development issues facing the African continent. The Carnegie Corporation of New York has provided funding for this programme.
Purpose
The programme seeks to nurture junior African Scholars interested in pursuing a career in Peace, Security & Development, and to equip them with the skills necessary to achieve this. Through taught courses as well as rigorous mentoring activities, the programme will accomplish the following objectives:
1. Increase the pool of African experts in the area of peace, security and development working to generate African-led ideas to address the security and development challenges on the continent.
2. Foster studies on Peace and Security issues within African institutions of higher learning, and ensure that academic institutions have better access to knowledge and expertise on these issues.
3. Inject skills within regional and national centres of excellence so that they can strengthen their research capacity on peace, security and development topics with independent and critical approaches.
4. Contribute to expertise on peace and security that is grounded in the pursuit of excellence and integrity.
Eligibility
In order to be considered eligible, candidates must have citizenship in an African country.
Successful candidates must hold valid travel documents prior to acceptance.
The competition is open only to junior faculty members based in universities in Africa from departments of political science; international relations; history, law, development studies, peace, security and conflict studies, and related departments.
Candidates need to demonstrate an interest in pursuing careers in the field of Peace, Security and Development. Previous study or engagement with the issues of Security & Development is not required but candidates must demonstrate a basic familiarity with these issues. Candidates must additionally be able to demonstrate that they are committed to contributing to work on peace and security in Africa.
Candidates will be expected to have a clear plan on how to utilise knowledge gained in the Fellowship upon returning to their countries and academic institutions.
Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English.
Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following values during the application phase: Independent thinking; Integrity; Pursuit of excellence; and a value for all forms of diversity.
DEADLINE: April 19, 2013
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Horn of Africa Priority Grant Competition, US Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace announces the launch of its Horn of Africa Priority Grant Competition. The region faces numerous pressing challenges, including ongoing conflict within states and tensions among neighbors. A diverse set of actors – including governments, regional organizations, international bodies, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and religious and community leaders – are undertaking conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts in the region.
The Horn of Africa Priority Grant Competition seeks to support the peacebuilding projects of non-profit organizations, think tanks, and universities. Priority will be given to local organizations, but international organizations with a strong history of work in the region may also apply. Each year, the grant competition will support projects on a specific set of countries. For 2013, the Institute is seeking proposals for peacebuilding and conflict resolution projects in Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. In future years, the Institute may elect to solicit proposals on a different set of countries within the Horn of Africa.
This Call for Proposals involves a mandatory two-step application process. The first step in the process is to submit a three-page concept note. Concept notes longer than three pages will not be reviewed. There is no form or specific format for the concept note, but applicants should be sure to describe:
1) The problem that the proposed project seeks to address;
2) The goals of the project and the activities that will be implemented;
3) The qualifications of the organization and the project team;
4) How the project will be monitored and evaluated; and
5) The estimated cost of the project. (Do not provide a full budget.)
Please pay close attention to the “Proposal Guidance” and “Eligibility” sections when developing your concept note. After a review of the concept notes, a select number of applicants will be contacted and asked to submit a full proposal.
DEADLINE: April 2, 2013
Great opportunities.