Departamento de Desarrollo Humano de la OEA / OAS Department
Human Development
Programa de Becas de Desarrollo Profesional /
Professional Development Scholarship Program
IACHR Fellowship for Indigenous People
OEA/DHD/CIR.003/2008
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) offers a fellowship for
Indigenous People on Human Rights and Indigenous people’s rights.
Location: Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 1889 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, United States of America.
Start and End Dates: From April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009
Deadline to present applications: January 31, 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Length of the Fellowship/Internship: One (1) Year
Objectives: To provide an opportunity for young indigenous lawyers from OAS Member States to understand and apply the mechanisms of protection of the Inter-American Human Rights system. The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the OAS. Its mandate is to promote the defense and respect of human rights, as ordered by the OAS Charter, de American Convention on Human Rights and the Commission’s Statute. The Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the IACHR was created in 1990, and its object is to strengthen, promote and systematize the IACHR’s action in the field of indigenous people’s rights in the Americas.
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; b) After finishing the fellowship, to commit to make efforts to work in the country of origin in the field of indigenous people’s rights; c) To commit to give a lecture about the inter-American System for the protection of human rights, with a particular reference to indigenous people’s rights, in the year following the end of the fellowship; and c) At the end of the fellowship, to present to the Executive Secretariat of the IACHR a detailed report of the activities carried out by the fellow.
Requirements:
- Be a citizen of an OAS Member State;
- Be a member of an Indigenous Community in the Americas.
- Have graduated in Law at an officially recognized University (send a copy of the degree and grades obtained);
- Have received a university degree in law after January 2002;
- Be registered as an attorney before the courts or the appropriate professional body;
- Demonstrate professional interest in the legal field of human rights, especially in the field of indigenous people’s rights;
- Fluency in Spanish (knowledge of another official language of the OAS is highly desirable);
- Physical aptitude for the fulfillment of the Fellowship’s obligations. Submit a medical certificate;
- Present a paper of up to 5 pages on one or more human rights topics of interest to the candidate
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.
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.
- The Commission will grant a certification of the Fellowship if the Fellow completes, in a satisfactory way, the total period of duration of the fellowship.
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”
Maria Levens, Director
Department of Human Development
C.c. Course Coordinator, Course file
1Funds for terminal and in-transit expenses
are NOT provided