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2009 Fellowship programme for persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva

Application deadline for the 2009 fellowship programme is November 17, 2008.

More information at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues...og.htm#english

If you are interested in applying or have any questions about the program, please contact us at can@chechnyaadvocacy.org as soon as possible. As always, we will assist you with the application process and advise you on all other questions.

I. Objective:
Through this Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) aims to give persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities - particularly young minority women and men - an opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with international human rights in general and minority rights in particular. The Fellowship Programme is intended to assist organizations and communities in protecting and promoting the rights of minorities they represent/belong to. Opportunities for incorporating a particular focus of the training on assisting minority Fellows in their advocacy work and cooperation with the media, as well as strengthening their capacities for negotiation to manage diversity peacefully, would also be areas to develop further in the future.

II. Background information:
1) The English speaking Minority Fellowship Programme was initiated by the OHCHR in 2005. The programme is usually of three months duration and is held at the OHCHR in Geneva , Switzerland . A total of 34 persons benefited from this programme since its inception in 2005. The participants have come from different ethnic, religious and linguistic communities from all regions of the world.

III. Content of the programme:
General introductions to the work of treaty bodies (particularly the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - CERD) and to charter-based bodies (including the Human Rights Council - HRC) will be provided. The Minority fellows will also have the opportunity to attend/observe sessions of UN human rights bodies. Training on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Minorities, the work of the former UN Working Group on Minorities and the new Forum on Minority Issues, as well as the work of the Independent Expert on minority issues, will give the participants a valuable understanding of the standards and mechanisms of the UN dedicated to minority issues. Minority fellows will also get a general understanding on the country-focused work of OHCHR and on practical ways of strengthening national human rights protection systems. They will be given the opportunity to establish contacts and to network/lobby with the non-governmental community and other inter-governmental organizations.

The English speaking minorities fellows are asked to complete several major assignments by the end of the programme, namely the preparation of training projects or follow-up activities to the Fellowship Programme, and the filling in of information contained in the Minority Profile and Matrix (read in English or in Russian). The idea of the Profile and Matrix arose from the need identified by the Minority Fellows to understand better the contents and scope of the United Nations Minorities Declaration, the commentary on the Declaration and other international standards and jurisprudence relating to minorities. It is designed as a tool and aims to: improve understanding of the Declaration on Minorities; indicate current legislation, policies and practices; identify avenues for data collection, its analysis and application; enable suggestions for improving situations; develop a checklist on human rights challenges affecting minorities; identify trends and situations which could fuel conflict or violence; develop a common language for sharing information and good practices; and contribute to the work of international human rights mechanisms. In practice the Profile and Matrix may also serve as a useful source for minorities to present information to their own Governments, national human rights institutions and regional organizations.

More generally, it is expected by the end of the Programme, that Minorities Fellows should be capable of giving trainings within their communities and organizations on the information and knowledge gained during the Fellowship Programme.

It is expected that five Fellows, will be chosen, taking account of gender balance, to participate in the 2009 Programme to be held from around 27 April 2009 for three months.

Each Fellow will be entitled to the following :
1) A return air ticket (economy class) from the country of residence to Geneva;
2) A monthly grant to cover modest accommodation as well as other living expenses in Geneva for the duration of the Programme; and
3) Health insurance for the duration of the Programme

Selection process and criteria:

The individual candidate:

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)

2. Age should not be a limitation to participation in the Minorities Fellowship Programme, although preference initially will be given to candidates between 25 - 35 years.

3. Formal education should not be a limitation to participation in the Minorities Fellowship Programme, if relevant experience can be demonstrated.

4. 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.

5. The candidates must have a good understanding of the English language, as all trainings and debriefings will be conducted in English.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. The selection of the Minorities Fellows should reflect a regional and gender balance.

Any questions pertaining to the Minority Fellowship Programme can be E-mailed to: minorities@ohchr.org

Applications should be fully filled, signed and faxed or mailed or scanned and E-mailed to the above addresses by the deadline of 17 November 2008.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.



Almut Rochowanski

Coordinator, Programs and Advocacy

Chechnya Advocacy Network



almut@chechnyaadvocacy.org

www.chechnyaadvocacy.org

__________________
A believer is like a tender plant. The wind bends it in whichever direction the wind is blowing. Barely does it get (a chance to be) straight before the afflictions bend it again. A wicked person is like a pine tree: solid and straight until Allah uproots it if He so wills.
[Bukhari]