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

Discussion: Indigenous Peoples & Inequalities in the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Dear colleague,

Indigenous people were absent from the Millennium Declaration and have remained so throughout the Millennium Development Goals processes: according to the UN System Task Team report on the post-2015 agenda, the MDGs have not reached the poorest and most marginalized people. To ensure that inequalities are addressed in the post-2015 agenda, the Global Thematic Consultation on Addressing Inequalities (co-led by UNICEF and UN Women) is holding a series of online, moderated discussions to gather views from a broad range of stakeholders on what the post-2015 development agenda should look like.  In this context, we would like to invite you to join an online discussion on inequalities and indigenous peoples, co-moderated by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (SPFII) and experts from Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations.

The discussion is taking place from 27 November to 14 December. To participate, please post your response in the discussion forum at www.worldwewant2015.org/node/284745. You are invited to register to the consultation here. The site is available in English, French and Spanish. You are invited to post your comments in any of the sixty languages supported by Google Translate.  If you are unable to access the site, please email your response to: inequalities@worldwewant2015.org.  

The discussion is co-moderated by Myrna Cunningham Kain, Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Nilla Bernardi, Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (SPFII). They will be joined by experts from Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations beginning with:

Roberto Borrero, Chair, NGO Committee on the UN International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples

Jennifer Koinante, Director, SIIWA, Kenya

To kick off the global conversation, we invite you to reflect on the following questions, among others:

1. What are the most important forms of inequalities faced by indigenous peoples? - including discussion of where and among whom these challenges occur, their severity, the evidence about them, etc.

 2. What are the major structural factors at the root of these inequalities, within and among different societies?
 3. What kinds of policies, strategies or interventions have been most successful in addressing the various inequalities experienced by indigenous peoples? And under which conditions/in which situations have particular policies, strategies or interventions had the greatest, lasting impact? (Contributors may wish to cite examples or give references to these “successes”).
 4. Based on experience, what are the most important recommendations that could be proposed in the Post-2015 Development Agenda for making a lasting and transformative impact on the different forms of inequalities faced by indigenous peoples?
 5. What actions and initiatives could be taken by different stakeholders, including civil society and indigenous peoples organizations, to bring about lasting improvements in these inequalities? And how should those who face inequalities themselves be enabled to participate in the implementation phase of the new Development Framework?
The recommendations emerging from your contributions will be incorporated into a report on ‘Addressing Inequalities in the Post-2015 Development Agenda’, to be presented at a high-level meeting in February 2013 in Copenhagen. The report will also be transmitted to the High-level Panel on Post-2015, appointed by the UN Secretary-General.

The consultation aims to be as broad and open as possible, in order to enable a multitude of voices to be heard from academia, media, indigenous peoples’ organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, private sector, governments and the UN System.  We look forward to hearing from you on how to realize the Future We Want for All.

Warm regards,
Myrna Cunningham Kain, Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Nilla Bernardi, Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (SPFII)Contact: inequalities@worldwewant2015.org
Discussion website: www.worldwewant2015.org/node/284745

Fellowship – Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2013

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: December 15, 2012
4) Start and End Dates: February 1, to June 30, 2013
5) Length of the Fellowship: 5 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 indigenous peoples’ rights. The Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the IACHR was created in 1990 in order to strengthen, promote and systematize the IACHR’s actions in the area of indigenous peoples’ rights in the Americas.
7) Program: To assist with tasks of the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 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 member of an indigenous community of the Americas;
• Spanish language proficiency (knowledge of other official OAS languages is 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, 2005;
• Have a demonstrable professional interest in the legal field of human rights, specifically in the area of indigenous peoples’ rights; 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 indigenous peoples’ rights.

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
• Copy of law degree and grades obtained
• Written paper of up to five pages

10) Benefits:

• The IACHR provides a monthly stipend of US$3,000.00 for the period covered by the fellowship, that is US$15,000.00 total for 5 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.

cidhoea@oas.org

Telephone: 202-458-6002 Fax: 202-458-3992 

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WIPO INDIGENOUS FELLOWSHIP

Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Folklore/Traditional Cultural Expressions

Geneva, September 4, 2012

WIPO INDIGENOUS FELLOWSHIP

One year Fellowship (2013), renewable for one further year (2014)

^NEW CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Applications for the WIPO Indigenous Fellowship are now open.  Interested candidates are kindly requested to submit their expressions of interest no later than October 26, 2012.

For additional information on the application procedure and requirements, please visit our website under “News”.

For further information…
For general requests for information about WIPO’s program activities concerning intellectual property and traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions/folklore and genetic resources and related issues, please fill out this form.

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