Upcoming Human Rights Events and Opportunities (April 27, 2012)
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Internships
CESR SEEKING GRADUATE-LEVEL RESEARCH INTERN: SUMMER 2012
The Center for Economic and Social Rights is now seeking a dynamic graduate-level research intern to assist the organization in its research projects through the summer of 2012. Applications will be received until May10, 2012. Information on how to apply is provided below, followed by descriptions of CESR’s areas of work.
ORGANIZATION’S MISSION AND ACTIVITIES
Formed in 1993, the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) is an international NGO that works for the recognition and enforcement of economic, social and cultural rights as a tool for promoting social justice and human dignity. The Center works for social justice through human rights research, advocacy, capacity-building and networking. We seek to influence policy through an interdisciplinary approach to monitoring economic and social rights violations, integrating socio-economic analysis in advocacy efforts to make the international human rights legal framework operational. We work closely in collaboration with local and international NGOs, social scientists, legal and development experts, UN agencies, policy makers and human rights practitioners to provide tools for strengthening human rights analysis and advocacy at the local, national and international levels.
The Center’s current work seeks to address the gaps between the legal recognition of economic and social rights and the widespread lack of compliance with them in practice and contributes to address the gaps between development and human rights in practice. Our areas of work are:
- Human rights responses to the financial and economic crisis: challenging complacency about the ongoing impacts of the crisis, questioning the causes of the crisis, and integrating human rights into the core of crisis responses;
- Human Rights in Development: building convergence between human rights and development, especially in the post-2015 MDG review process;
- Bridging Enforcement gaps: utilizing various judicial and non-judicial accountability mechanisms to ensure the implementation and enforcement of ESCR rights in practice;
- Rights monitoring: arming social justice advocates with new methods and practical tools for exposing economic and social rights violations and demanding accountability for denials and violations of economic and social rights.
CESR’s research and advocacy work seeks to bring about concrete policy changes to improve social and economic rights in multiple contexts - both local and international. By combining the strengths of traditional human rights monitoring methodologies and advocacy strategies with those of rigorous socio-economic research, CESR intends to contribution to advocates’ ability to hold governments accountable for violations of economic and social rights.
INTERNSHIP SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
The research carried out by the graduate-level research intern will contribute substantively to the Center’s work in some mix of the areas mentioned above, depending on the interest and expertise of the candidate selected.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
- Completed, or in pursuit of a law or graduate degree in a related field, especially human rights law or international development;
- Consistent attention to detail;
- Capacity to read, write and communicate in English;
- Strong writing and communication skills, including an ability to clearly explain complex technical issues in an accessible language and synthesize and evaluate data;
- Knowledge of human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights;
- Experience in conducting research, both quantitative and qualitative;
- Capacity to work independently.
Highly Desirable:
- Capacity to read, write and communicate in Spanish, or other languages such as French, Portuguese, and Arabic;
- Background knowledge on human rights monitoring methodologies;
- Background knowledge of applied macroeconomics and statistics;
- Experience developing online resources and/or familiarity with interactive web-based or other technologies for use in social justice advocacy, such as wikis, video and audio podcasts, social networking sites, etc.
- Familiarity with online resource centers and databases, especially on socio-economic and development data from various international agencies and trusted sources, such as UNSTAT, the World Bank, WHO, regional and NGO databases, Demographic and Health surveys, among others;
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
If you are interested, please send your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest and specific qualifications to inter...@cesr.org. Please indicate the areas of work in which you are interested in working. Please send your application at the soonest availability, but certainly before May10, 2012. We will accept applications on a rolling basis until positions are filled. Only top applicants will be contacted for interviews.
HOURS AND LOCATION:
Internships with CESR generally require a minimum of two to three days per week (20 hours per week), though we would welcome a full-time internship through the summer months. Although we are eager to negotiate a relatively consistent schedule, the days and hours of work are flexible. We can only accept candidates which already count on their own funding. The intern will be based at CESR’s New York office (162 Montague Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201).
For more information on this internship opening, see: http://www.cesr.org/article.php?id=56
Fellowships
Rapporteurship on the Rights of Human Rights Defenders – Fellowship 2012
1) Venue of Fellowship: Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the Organization of American States (OAS). Address: 1889 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, United States of America
2) Modality: On-site
3) Deadline to present applications: April 30, 2012
4) Start and End Dates: June 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013
5) Length of the Fellowship: 9 months
6) Objective: To provide an opportunity for young lawyers from OAS Member States to understand and apply the mechanisms of protection of the inter-American system of human rights in the area of human rights defenders.
7) Program: To assist with tasks of the Rapporteurship on Human Rights Defenders of the Inter-American Commission, under the supervision of its human rights specialists during the period of the fellowship and, at the end of the fellowship, present to the Executive Secretariat of the IACHR a detailed report on activities carried out by the fellow.
8) Requirements:
• Be a citizen of an OAS Member State; • Be bilingual in Spanish and English (attach certificates testifying thereto), knowledge of French or Portuguese desirable;
• Have graduated in law from an officially recognized university (attach copy of the law degree and grades obtained);
• Have received law degree after January 1, 2004; • Have a demonstrable professional interest in the legal field of human rights, specifically in the area of human rights defenders;
• Be registered as an attorney before the courts or the appropriate professional body; in the absence of registration, indicate the reason; and • Present a paper of up to five pages, not edited by another person, on a human rights issue of interest to the candidate in the area of human rights defenders.
9) Required documents: The following documents are required in order to be considered for the fellowship:
• Letter of interest
• Completed Fellowship Application (LINK)
• Two letters of recommendation
• Curriculum vitae Certification of second language
• Copy of law degree and grades obtained
• Proof of registration as an attorney before the courts or the appropriate professional body, or in the absence of registration, indicate the reason
• Written paper of up to five pages
10) Benefits:
• The IACHR provides a monthly stipend of US$2,800.00 for the period covered by the fellowship, that is US$28,000.00 total for 9 months. With the stipend provided, the fellow is responsible for obtaining health insurance coverage of his/her choosing for the duration of the fellowship, and should provide proof of coverage to the Executive Secretariat of the IACHR.
• Round-trip economy class air transportation from the participant’s country of residence to Washington, D.C. Terminal and transfer expenses are not covered.
• The IACHR will award a certificate of participation in the Fellowship Program to the fellows who satisfactorily complete the entire period of the fellowship.
11) Responsibilities of the selected candidates:
• Once an applicant has been selected, he/she should formally accept the fellowship in writing, confirming with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights his/her availability to complete the fellowship during the specified time period. Once accepted, the IACHR will proceed with the necessary arrangements for purchase of round-trip economy air transportation between the candidate’s country of origin/residence and Washington, D.C.
• In the event a candidate accepts a fellowship but cannot complete it, for whatever reason, he/she must immediately inform the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights so that the course of action may be decided.
• It is the responsibility of each selected candidate to request and obtain the necessary visa to enter the United States, and/or transit visa (if applicable) in a timely manner. The IACHR will not incur in any expense related to the processing of immigration or visa documents. The IACHR will provide the candidate a document certifying his/her selection as an official fellow of the IACHR so that he/she may request the corresponding visa, which is the sole responsibility of the selected candidate. In addition, the OAS will send a diplomatic note to the Embassy or Consulate where the selected candidate will be requesting his/her visa, certifying the fellow’s selection.
• It is the responsibility of the selected candidate to arrive in a timely manner so that he/she will be present for the commencement of the fellowship on the date established by the IACHR.
• If the selected candidate declines the fellowship after the flight ticket has been purchased, or does not travel on the established dates or changes routes, the candidate shall reimburse the IACHR the cost of the flight ticket or any additional costs incurred. The latter includes any additional costs, if any, incurred by the IACHR, such as extra costs for accommodation during the candidate’s travel to and from Washington, D.C.
• If the candidate resigns, cancels or terminates the fellowship after the program has begun without providing sufficient reason and evidence to the IACHR for doing so, he/she will fully reimburse the IACHR for all costs incurred on his/her behalf.
12) Presentation of candidates: The application and other required documents indicated in sections 8 and 9 must be submitted to the Executive Secretariat of the IACHR prior to the closing date of the application period, by email, fax or mail:
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
1889 F Street, N.W. Washington, D.C., 20006
U.S.A.
cidhde...@oas.org
Telephone: 202-458-6002 Fax: 202-458-3992
* This fellowship is offered thanks to the support of the government of Ireland.
Positions
Coalition for an Effective African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights seeks Executive Secretary, Arusha, Tanzania
Application deadline: 30 April 2012
The Coalition for an Effective African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Court Coalition - http://www.africancourtcoalition.org/) is a network of non-governmental organisations and independent national human rights institutions, which was formed during the first conference for the promotion of the protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Niamey, Niger in May 2003. The key purpose for its establishment was to have an effective and independent African Court in order to provide redress to victims of human rights violations and strengthen the human rights protection system in Africa. The Coalition was formally registered as an NGO in Tanzania in September 2007. Its main office is in Arusha, where the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights is also based.
The African Court Coalition is seeking an Executive Secretary. Key performance areas will include:
- Overall leadership and operational management;
- Fundraising for implementation of Coalition programmes;
- Strategic planning, framework development and budget planning;
- Developing partnerships and organising events and opportunities that benefit the Coalition;
- Managing annual meetings and other initiatives in conjunction with partners.
Requirements:
- Degree in Law, International Relations or other relevant field; specialisation in Human Rights or Humanitarian Law would be an advantage;
- Interpersonal, teamwork, cross-cultural awareness and stress tolerance, innovation and excellent communication skills, oral and written;
- Competence in English with a working knowledge of French (Alternatively, competence in French with working knowledge of English);
- At least five years experience in management, advocacy and network building;
- Knowledge and familiarity with the African human rights system;
- Ability to interact with NGOs, and government officials and intergovernmental organisations with professionalism;
- Ability to use computer software packages such as Microsoft Office 2007.
The position is based in Arusha, Tanzania and requires international travel. Attractive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications offered to the successful candidate.
To apply for this position please submit your CV accompanied by a one-page motivation letter in MS Word format to George Kegoro, Chairperson of the Coalition, by email at ad...@africancourtcoalition.org not later than 30 April 2012.
Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
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Director, Education and Research Programs
The American Society of International Law (ASIL), the leading society of international lawyers and scholars in the United States, is dedicated to promoting greater understanding of international law. It pursues this mission through training, education, and research programs serving judges, lawyers, law students, policy makers, the media, and the general public.
ASIL seeks an experienced international law professional to direct its Education and Research Programs. Managing a small staff, several consultants and pro bono fellows, ASIL member volunteers, and partner organizations, and working closely with the Executive Director and other senior staff, the Director will oversee and implement all aspects of the Education and Research Programs. Responsibilities include the development and presentation of educational curricula, publications, and resources for diverse constituencies, including through innovative new formats and media; development and administration of a research agenda, including oversight of ASIL task forces and working groups on a variety of international law topics and commission of and editorial responsibility for ASIL discussion papers; budgeting; grant writing; staff management; and oversight of the Society's growing Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program. The Director will be the Society's primary liaison to relevant advisory boards and ASIL committees, including the Society's Judicial Advisory Board. The Director will also participate in the ASIL senior management team and contribute to the overall management of the organization.
Required: BA/BS and JD or equivalent graduate degree and 7-10 years' relevant experience, reflecting increasing program management responsibility and solid grounding in international law. Strongly preferred: Experience in international law teaching and administration, oversight of CLE and/or judicial education programs; program management of think tank research activity; and grant writing or other donor relations. Language skills and experience working in international, multicultural environment a plus. Generous benefits and salary commensurate with experience. Candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and three references to jo...@asil.org, with "Director, Education and Research Programs" in the subject line. No calls please.
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ASIL International Law Fellow Positions
The American Society of International Law (ASIL) invites its Academic and Law Firm Partners to refer applicants for three International Law Fellow positions at the ASIL headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Fellows will be responsible for implementing a number of the Society's research, education, and outreach programs. The positions are full-time, unpaid, and of a 6- to 12- month duration. They are intended for recent law graduates in the early stages of an international legal career and in particular for those deferring the start-date of permanent employment due to the economic downturn.
International Law Fellow Responsibilities
International Law Fellows will work under the direct supervision of the ASIL Executive Director and will be responsible for the implementation of a number of ASIL research, education, and outreach programs. Responsibilities may include development and implementation of continuing legal education programs for Society members; support for ASIL’s judicial outreach program, including coordination of judicial training programs and the development and revision of educational materials on international law for the judiciary; the development of a new website providing resources for international law teaching; support for ASIL’s careers in international law program; organization of regular Tillar House briefings on current issues in international law; and general research and editorial support for ASIL publications, including ASIL Insights, International Law in Brief, the American Journal of International Law, International Legal Materials, ASIL Studies in Transnational Legal Policy, and the ASIL Discussion Paper series.
Qualifications
Successful applicants will have a graduate degree in law (J.D. or LL.M.), strong writing and editorial skills, experience working in a professional environment and on program implementation, and a demonstrated interest in international law. Experience working on a journal and coursework or work experience in international law are strongly preferred. Positions require the ability, initiative, and judgment to work independently and to successfully implement projects from beginning to end.
About the American Society of International Law
SIL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational membership organization. It was founded in 1906, chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1950, and has held Category II Consultative Status to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 1993. ASIL’s mission is to foster the study of international law and to promote the establishment and maintenance of international relations on the basis of law and justice. It does so through its premier conferences, training programs, research, and publications, including the American Journal of International Law. The Society’s 4,000 members from nearly 100 countries comprise attorneys, academics, corporate counsel, judges, representatives of governments and nongovernmental organizations, international civil servants, students, and others interested in international law. For more information, visit www.asil.org.
Application Requirements
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, unedited writing sample (no more than a 10-page excerpt), and references to jo...@asil.org, with “Law Fellow” in the subject line
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CHRGJ Program Officer, NYU School of Law
(Start date July 1, 2012)
The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at NYU School of Law is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Program Officer. The Program Officer will play a key role in: developing new avenues for donor support; strategically elevating the visibility and reach of the Center’s scholarship; and conducting outreach to the human rights community, both at the law school and beyond. The Program Officer will work closely with the Center’s Faculty Directors, Executive Director, and Research Director. The annual salary for this position is $70,000, and it comes with a generous vacation and benefits package. The position will be active as of July 1, 2012.
Key Responsibilities:
Develop new strategies for fundraising and donor relations to enhance the Center’s capacity to host conferences, produce publications, and convene high level meetings between different stakeholders in the human rights community.
Coordinate with University departments, faculty, and student groups whose goals are similar to the Center’s, in order to foster stronger connections and collaborations among relevant programs, groups, and actors.
Work to raise the Center’s visibility and capacity for outreach by developing new media, enhancing its website presentation and content, and engaging a wide range of social media tools.
Work closely with the Research Director to conceptualize new platforms and forums for enhancing the visibility of the Center, both in the NYU law community and in the broader human rights community through engaging with new social media tools, strategic outreach, conference attendance, collaboration with other organizations, development of specialized events, engagement with the media and other avenues for outreach to academic and non-academic organizations locally, nationally, and internationally.
Help develop an annual, high-profile conference centered on the annual, overarching theme guiding the Center’s work (in 2012, “Fact-finding and Evidence in Human Rights”).
Manage the development of other specialized symposiums, meetings, and conferences, through all stages, from inception to execution, including through developing themes, speakers, and panels for major conferences; strategic planning, outreach, logistical planning, budget management, and other tasks related to convening and planning major conferences and meetings. The Program Officer will work closely with other members of the Center’s administrative staff on logistics and planning, as well as with the Center’s Research Director on developing publications that emerge from these conferences and meetings.
Conduct outreach and planning to build the Center’s new Global Fellows program, a competitive international fellowship program that will bring three fellows to the Center annually to partake in the Center’s mission to produce cutting-edge scholarship. This will involve developing strong international partnerships and exchanges with other academic institutions; managing the selection process; and assisting in meeting the logistical needs of the fellowship program by interfacing with relevant departments at NYU.
Qualifications
JD or Master’s Degree in a relevant field.
Demonstrated administrative and organizational expertise, including but not limited to: donor relations, academic planning, budget management, and public outreach.
A preparedness for successful fundraising.
Solid working knowledge of the international human rights system and insight into current issues in human rights discourse and practice.
Comfort working with multi-media platforms to engage in online social networking, website content, and other forms of relevant information sharing and profile-raising activities.
A proven dedication to human rights issues, as evidenced through previous education and employment, activism, or scholarship.
Skills and Abilities
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including a facility for public speaking. Knowledge of a second language is an asset.
Ability to think creatively and take leadership in expanding and advancing programming that produces cutting-edge scholarship and creates new relationships for the Center at every level of its engagement with the human rights community.
Ability to work with, develop new relationships with, and convene a wide variety of actors both inside and outside of academia, including international human rights experts, law students, alumni, faculty, administrators, donors, and legal practitioners.
Ability to work under pressure, balance competing priorities, work as a team with colleagues and partners, as well as take the lead on projects and initiatives
To apply, please send a cover letter, CV, three references, and two writing samples to Audrey Watne at wat...@exchange.law.nyu.edu by May 25, 2012. Only the most qualified candidates will be selected for an interview.
Call for Papers
The Journal of Korean Law invites the submission of original manuscripts on any subject related to Korean law for the June 2012 Issue (Vol. 11 No. 2).
The Journal of Korean Law is published twice annually, in June and December, by the Law Research Institute of Seoul National University. It is the first law journal to be published in English by a Korean law school and is the most prestigious of its kind. We are proud to announce that it has recently been the first and the only law journal in English to be nominated for the registration on the NRF(National Research Foundation of Korea) Journal list.
The Journal serves to introduce foreigners to current intellectual and practice-related trends in Korean law and to stimulate a comparative discourse with scholars and practitioners from all corners of the world. The Journal has a worldwide audience as all published articles are available on HeinOnline and Westlaw International, as well as our website.
The Journal requests that contributors kindly email their manuscripts to j...@snu.ac.kr by April 30th, 2012.
Before submitting your manuscript, please refer to the manuscript guidelines below for the basic formatting of an original manuscript and general information on the reviewing and editing process. Failure to meet these requirements may lead to a rejection of your submission. These guidelines can also be found at the Journal of Korean Law website (http://www.snujkl.org)
Further information on the Journal of Korean Law can be obtained on HeinOnline (http://heinonline.org) or the official website (http://www.snujkl.org).
Feel free to direct any questions regarding the submission of manuscripts or the Journal of Korean Law to the editors of the Journal by e-mail at j...@snu.ac.kr
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The New Zealand Yearbook of International Law is currently calling for articles and other submissions for its ninth (2011) edition and the formal call for submissions is attached. The Yearbook, launched in June 2004, is an annual, internationally refereed publication intended to stand as a reference point for legal materials and critical commentary on issues of public international law. The Yearbook serves as a valuable tool in the determination of trends, state practice and policies in the development of international law in New Zealand, the Pacific region, the Southern Ocean and Antarctica and to generate scholarship in those fields. In this regard the Yearbook contains an annual ‘Year-in-Review’ of developments in international law of particular interest to New Zealand as well as sections dedicated to the South Pacific and to Antarctica.
The Editors of the Yearbook are now calling for the submission of articles, commentaries and notes on any aspect of international law. The Editors are particularly keen to receive submissions on issues of especial relevance to New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. The closing date for submissions is 1 May 2012. Submissions should be sent to Karen...@canterbury.ac.nz.
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Call for Papers - "Environmental Justice and Human Rights: Investigating the Tensions, Exploring the Possibilities"
Deadline April 30
"Environmental Justice and Human Rights: Investigating the Tensions, Exploring the Possibilities" will take place in Ottawa, November 8-10, 2012. This conference aims to build understanding about the relationship between human rights and environmental justice Abstracts of 400-600 words should be emailed to David Robitaille by April 30, 2012. For more information, click here.(ASIL)
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Call for Papers – Conference on International Law in Africa
Deadline May 1
The African Foundation for International Law, together with the Centre for Human Rights and the Institute for International and Comparative Law of the University of Pretoria, as well as the Universidade Eduardo Mondlante, Mozambique, are planning a major conference on International Law in Africa October 5 - 6, 2012, in Maputo, Mozambique. In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 2013, the conference will provide a forum for reflection on the pan-African organization in the specific context of human security, peace, and development in Africa, and on how the OAU has responded in these areas. Those interested in presenting a paper should submit a brief abstract including name, proposed title, and a brief summary of the argument and contribution of the paper, not to exceed 500 words. Abstracts should be sent to adj...@afil-fadi.org by May 1, 2012. For more information, click here.
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Call for Proposals - Collective Redress in the Cross-Border Context
Deadline May 1
The Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law, along with the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, will convene a two-day event on the theme "Collective Redress in the Cross-Border Context: Arbitration, Litigation, Settlement and Beyond." The event includes a workshop, comprised of speakers from throughout the world as well as a works-in-progress conference on June 20-21, 2012, designed to allow practitioners and scholars who are interested in the area of collective redress to discuss their work and ideas in the company of other experts in the field. Those interested in presenting at the works-in-progress conference should should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words to Professor S.I. Strong by May 1, 2012. For more information, click here.