UN OHCHR Fellowship Programme for People of African Descent 2019 (Fully-funded to Geneva, Switzerland)

Deadline: April 30, 2019

Applications are open for the UN OHCHR Fellowship Programme for People of African Descent 2019. The Fellowship programme is a three-week intensive learning opportunity for people of African descent from the diaspora, who are engaged in promoting the rights of people of African descent.

The aim of the Fellowship is to strengthen participants’ skills to contribute to the protection and promotion of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of people of African descent in their respective countries. The participants are equipped with the tools necessary to enhance the development of legislation, policies and programmes; to strengthen collaboration of civil society with governments; and to undertake local awareness-raising activities. In 2019, the Fellowship will be held from November 25 to December 13, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Benefits

• Each fellow is entitled to a return ticket (economy class) from the country of residence to Geneva; basic health insurance; and a stipend to cover modest accommodation and other living expenses for the duration of the Programme.

Eligibility

• The candidate must be an individual of African descent living in the Diaspora.
• The candidate must have a minimum of 4 years of work experience related to the rights of People of African Descent.
• The programme is bilingual in English and French. The candidate needs to have sufficient command of one of the two languages to be able to participate fully in the programme.
• The candidate has to submit a letter from an organization working on issues related to People of African Descent or minority rights certifying their status.
• The candidates must be available to attend the full duration of the programme. The selected fellows will be expected to participate in different activities and to strictly follow the programme.

Selection Process

The selection of the fellows will reflect gender and regional balance. The human rights situation of People of African Descent in the respective countries will also be taken into consideration.

Application

Applicants are requested to submit the following documents in one single e-mail to africandescentfellowship@ohchr.org:

• A Curriculum Vitae
• A completed, signed and scanned Application Form in one single document.
• A Personal Statement (maximum 500 words) in which the candidate will explain his/her motivation for applying, and how he/she will use the knowledge gained from the fellowship to promote the interests and rights of people of African descent.
• An Official Letter from the nominating organization or community certifying the status
• A copy of the applicant’s passport.
• Please note that submissions with more than five attachments will not be accepted.

Important: Please mention in the subject header of your e-mail: “Application for the YEAR Fellowship Programme for People of African Descent.”

Name the attached document as follows:

LAST NAME First name – Type of document
Example: SMITH Jacqueline – Application form.doc
SMITH Jacqueline – A Personal Statement.doc
SMITH Jacqueline – Letter certifying Status.pdf
SMITH Jacqueline – Passport.pdf