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The Aryeh Neier Fellowship Program opens for applications for Lawyers and advocates from Developing countries for the 2014-2015 scholarships. This is a two-year program of practical work experience designed to expand a network of lawyers and advocates working internationally on human rights issue. In 2014, four (4) fellowships will be awarded.
Specification
- During the first year, each Fellow will work with the staff of the Open Society Justice Initiative in the Justice Initiative offices in New York, London, or Budapest on selected litigation, research and documentation, advocacy, and/or pilot projects designed to enhance accessibility, fairness, and effectiveness of justice services.
- During the second year of the fellowship, each Fellow will be based full-time with a partner organization in Africa, Asia, Europe, or Latin America to support efforts with that organization.
- Applicants should indicate their preferred geographic placement. They can generally accommodate placement in London only for those applicants who already are eligible to live and work in the United Kingdom.
Eligibility
The applicant must demonstrate:
- Strong commitment to human rights;
- Prior work experience in the human rights field;
- Have a university degree in Law or an LLM or MA in human rights;
- High degree of proficiency in English;
- Good research, legal analysis, and drafting skills;
- Willingness to take initiative with ability to work individually and in teams;
- Organization and attention to detail;
- Knowledge of French, Spanish or other languages an asset.
How to Apply
All potential applicants meeting the applicable criteria are encouraged to apply. However, the priority areas contemplated for placement of the 2014–2016 Fellows are:
Anticorruption
In close collaboration with the staff, a Fellow would undertake some or all of the following responsibilities:
- Research on a broad range of justice-related issues;
- Writing (reports, memos, blogs, producing training materials, etc.);
- Monitoring anticorruption proceedings and developments internationally;
- Liaising with other NGOs and justice advocates;
- Editing;
- Organizing meetings and conferences with stakeholders.
Criminal Justice (International Justice)
- In close collaboration with their staff, a Fellow would undertake some or all of the following responsibilities:
- Research on a broad range of justice-related issues (such as witness protection, gender crimes, assessing national proceedings, etc.);
- Writing (reports, memos, blogs, producing training materials, etc.);
- Trial monitoring;
- Liaising with other NGOs and justice advocates, including staff of the UN and international and domestic courts, and government officials;
- Editing;
- Organizing meetings and conferences with stakeholders.
Equality & Inclusion (Discrimination in Europe)
- Participating in efforts to re-frame the public policy debates about education and integration in Germany, by working with journalists and community activists;
Collecting and/or supporting collection of ethnically disaggregated data that reveals differences in academic performance between pupils of different ethnic backgrounds; - Supporting community efforts to advocate for a school-level complaints mechanism that will be accessible to parents and students and allow more information about discriminatory practices to come to light, beginning with a pilot project in Berlin.
Rule of Law (Economic Justice)
The scope of work will include:
- Desk research;
- Consultations with local partners;
- Help with conceptualizing and preparing for meetings and events;
- Drafting of legal and advocacy documents;
- Coordinating among various other components of the Open Society Foundations as well as outside partners.
Post-2015 Development Agenda
The Fellow’s responsibilities will include:
- Working with staff across the Justice Initiative—from the advocacy, legal empowerment, equality and inclusion, and other teams—to conduct research about the political positions of member states;
- Assisting in developing materials that demonstrate the measurability of justice;
Attending meetings with civil society partners as well as at the UN; - Gathering information from and liaising with other programs and foundations interested in the process;
- Helping to organize events and meetings;
- Drafting research memos and advocacy documents.
How to Apply
- All interested applicants are requested to send the completed application form and supporting materials to [email protected], indicating “Aryeh Neier Fellow” in the subject line.
- As part of the online application, applicants must submit the following additional documents:
- A statement of purpose for applying to the Justice Initiative Fellows program in which the applicant indicates which of the proposed themes s/he is interested in, reasons for his/her interests in that particular area, and how he/she intends to contribute to the chosen field.
- Applicants are encouraged to propose their ideas for specific approaches that can be applied for the work, preferably in the selected themes. Applicants may choose to propose work outside of the listed priority areas;
Also include:
- Curriculum Vitae;
- Copy of relevant diploma(s);
- Proof of English proficiency (i.e. TOEFL score, proficiency exam certificate, etc.);
- Two recommendation letters.
- It is preferable but not required to have a supporting letter from a civil society organization where the applicant would like to undertake the second-year part of the fellowship on the selected topic.
For any additional information about the program itself, please contact Anna Fischer via email: [email protected]
Deadline: Application closes March 28, 2014
- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. The final selection decisions will be made by April 2014.
- Upon selection, Fellows will be required to sign an agreement with the Justice Initiative, committing themselves to the program for a period of two years.