2013 SENIOR INDIGENOUS FELLOW POSITION

OHCHR: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND MINORITIES SECTION

TERMS OF REFERENCE

2013 SENIOR INDIGENOUS FELLOW POSITION

1 May – 30 August 2013
Indigenous Peoples and Minority Section – Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva

The Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section (IPMS) of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is seeking an indigenous person to fill the position of “Senior Fellow” for a duration of four months (1 May - 30 August 2013).

The Senior Indigenous Fellowship aims at giving the selected indigenous person an in-depth understanding of the international human rights system and mechanisms, especially those dealing with indigenous issues. Through this experience, the Senior Fellow will gain practical knowledge and working level experience by directly contributing to the programmes and activities of the IPMS. Such exposure will also allow him/her to
develop an extensive contact network with OHCHR staff in general, as well as other UN departments or agencies and human rights NGOs in Geneva.

The Senior Fellow is expected to return to his/her home country with an enhanced set of skills and expertise to contribute towards the promotion and protection of human rights of indigenous peoples at the national, regional or international level.

The Senior Indigenous Fellow will be working in the Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section of OHCHR under the guidance and supervision of the Chief of Section and the Coordinator of the Indigenous Fellowship Programme and will be requested to:

- Contribute to the activities of the Section by undertaking research and analysis, drafting official reports and speeches, participating in the organization and implementation of training activities, workshops or international meetings organized by OHCHR, such as the Indigenous Fellowship Programme and the Expert
Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Perform any other tasks to support the work of the Section, including administrative or logistic tasks.

The candidate must be indigenous. He/she should have:

A university degree preferably in law, political sciences, international relations or any other disciplines related to human rights.
• Minimum of four years of working experience in the field of indigenous peoples’ rights.
• He/she should be fluent in English. Other language skills including Spanish, French or Russian are highly desirable.

The candidate selected will not receive a salary but will be entitled to a monthly stipend that will cover basic living expenses in Geneva, as well as return ticket and basic health insurance. Please note that this is not a regular employment position within OHCHR and it does not lead to employment rights and entitlements beyond the terms of the fellowship.

Interested candidates should submit their applications by fax (+41 22 917 90 08) with a cover letter indicating “Application to the 2013 Senior Indigenous Fellowship Position” or by post at:

Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNOG-OHCHR
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland

Although we do not encourage you to send your application by email, scanned
applications can also be received at the following address: fellowship@ohchr.org

The application should include the following documents:

1) A Curriculum Vitae.
2) A letter of motivation (maximum 3 pages), in which the candidate will introduce himself/herself - mentioning the indigenous community he/she belongs to - explain his/her expectations, what he/she hopes to achieve through this fellowship and what he/she expects to do upon return to promote indigenous rights.
3) A letter of recommendation from the organization / entity they are affiliated with.

The deadline to receive applications is: 15 February 2013. Please note that only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Source: OHCHR

Report: Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

James Anaya, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, has released his report that he has submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). Mr. Anaya will be presenting this during the upcoming HRC 21st session, September 10-28, 2012, in Geneva. Please visit link to download full report. 

http://unsr.jamesanaya.org/docs/annual/2012_hrc_annual_report_en.pdf

Expert Meeting on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Concludes First Session in Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland (UCTP Taino News) - The United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) concluded its inaugural session in Geneva on Friday, 3 October with the adoption of a number of proposals to the Human Rights Council. The Durban Review Conference on Racism, the right of Indigenous People to education, and the participation of Indigenous Peoples in sessions of the Council and United Nations human rights treaty bodies were the focus of some of the proposals presented.

The Expert Mechanism is mandated to provide thematic expertise on the rights of Indigenous Peoples to the UN Human Rights Council. The group met from 1-3 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva with more than 400 registered to the historic meeting. A majority of those attending the inaugural session were Indigenous Peoples who actively participated in the three-day meeting making recommendations to the newly formed body as well as relating human rights situations affecting their communities.

Among the many presentations made at the session a joint oral statement on the points of consideration of the EMRIP study on Education was presented by the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) and the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP). The presentation was made by IITC Executive Director Andrea Carmen. The IITC presented several other interventions during the session. Both the IITC and the UCTP participated within the Global Indigenous Caucus sessions to the EMRIP.

As mandated by the Human Rights Council through a resolution adopted at its session last week, the Expert Mechanism began to identify and suggest proposals for its consideration in 2009. In connection to the upcoming UN Durban Review Conference on racism taking place next year, the Experts were asked to assist the Preparatory Committee of the Conference by submitting recommendations as contributions to its outcome. The Experts recommended that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action should acknowledge that the right of self-determination and the principle of free, prior and informed consent are now universally recognized through the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In addition, the Experts recommended that the Declaration be considered as one of the human rights standards in the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review process.

The Experts also began work on preparing a study on lessons learned and challenges to achieve the implementation of the right of Indigenous Peoples to education to be concluded in 2009. In another proposal, the Expert Mechanism invited the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to contribute to the study and requested the Human Rights Council to authorize a two-day technical workshop/review to finalize the study.

At the meeting’s opening, John Henriksen (Norway) was elected to serve as Chairperson-Rapporteur of the first session and Jose Carlos Morales (Costa Rica) as Vice Chairperson-Rapporteur. The other three members of the Expert Mechanism are Catherine Odimba Kombe (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Jannie Lasimbang (Malaysia) and Jose Molintas (Philippines).

The Expert Mechanism will hold its second session in 2009 with the date to be decided at the 10th regular session of the Human Rights Council scheduled to be held in March 2009.

UCTPTN 10.06.2008