OAS Department of Human Development
Professional Development Program
“IACHR Fellowship for Indigenous People”
OEA/DBC-CIR.009/2006
1) Venue: The OAS Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
2) 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: Isabel
Madariaga, E-Mail: imadariaga@oas.org
3) Modality: On site
4) Deadline to present applications: April 11, 2006
5) Start and End Dates: From May 1, 2006 to May 1, 2007
6) Length of the Fellowship/Internship: One (1) Year
7) Objectives: To provide an opportunity for a young indigenous lawyer from OAS Member States to understand and apply the mechanisms of protection of the Inter-American Human Rights system.
8) 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) 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 c) 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.
9) Requirements: a) Be a citizen of an OAS Member State and an indigenous lawyer; b) Knowledge of Spanish (Knowledge of English desirable) , c) have graduated in law at an officially recognized university (send a copy of the degree and grades obtained); d) be registered as an attorney with the courts or the appropriate professional body; e) have a demonstrable professional, specially regarding rights of indigenous people; f) have received a university degree in law after January 1, 1999; g) submit a medical certificate; h) present a paper of up to 5 pages on one or more human rights issues of interest to the candidate.
10) Benefits: The OAS provides a total stipend of US$21,600.00 for the period covered by the fellowship, that is to say, US$1,800.00 a month for 12 months, economy class air tickets from the participant’s country of residence to Washington, D.C. and back, and health insurance.
11) Responsibilities of the Selected Candidate:
a. Upon selection, candidates must accept the scholarship by confirming to the Department of Human Development their availability to follow the course during the period indicated and their acceptance of the duly provided conditions of study 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.
b. In the event that a candidate accepts a scholarship but cannot take the program, for whatever reason, the candidate must immediately advise the OAS Department of Human Development.
c. Selected scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) to enter the country of study and the corresponding transit(s). The OAS will not be responsible for any costs relating to obtaining visas or transfer documentation.
d. Each scholarship recipient is responsible for arriving in time for the commencement of activities on the date established by the institution offering the course or program.
e. The scholarship recipient and/or the sponsoring institution will be responsible for the cost of the airfare or any additional costs incurred, if the selected candidate, after having accepted the award and after the Department of Human Development has purchased the air fare ticket, declines the scholarship. 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.
f. Expenses for food during the trip and excess of baggage should be self afforded.
12) 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 this official announcement is available via the Educational Portal of the Americas Web page at: http://www.educoea.org.
Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to: Scholarships@oas.org