MINELRES: Justice Initiative Fellows Program at the Central European University (2005 - 2007 session)

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Justice Initiative <info@justiceinitiative.org> 



Central European University 

Department of Legal Studies 

CEU Budapest 

 
Justice Initiative Fellows Program at the Central European University
(2005 � 2007 session)

 

October 25, 2004�The Open Society Justice Initiative joins with the
Central European University (CEU) to announce the Justice Initiative
Fellows Program for 2005-2007. The aim of the program is to support and
further develop a network of lawyers and activists working on human
rights-related issues internationally.


The Human Rights Fellows Program is a two-year program of study and
practical work experience. Up to ten applicants will be selected in 2005
to participate in the program. Applicants from the following regions and
countries are eligible: Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet
Union, Mongolia, West and Southern Africa, the African Great Lakes
region, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Haiti, Guatemala, Mexico and
Peru.


Applicants must be nominated by a non-governmental organization
concerned with human rights. The applicant must demonstrate a strong
commitment to human rights, hold a university degree and be highly
proficient in English. Criteria for selection will include the
applicant�s experience, his/her potential to contribute to the
protection and promotion of human rights, and the suitability of the
applicant's proposed role in the nominating NGO. Upon selection, Fellows
will be required to sign an agreement with the Justice Initiative
committing themselves to the program for two years. The first year is
spent at the Central European University, the second in the applicant�s
home country, working with the nominating NGO. 


Human Rights Fellows will reside a total of one year in Hungary, at CEU
Legal Studies Department. They will undertake a degree program (M.A. or
LL.M. in Human Rights, dependent on their undergraduate degree), in
which they will be required to fulfill the requirements of the Human
Rights Program at the Central European University. During their stay at
CEU the Fellows will also participate in a three-month internship
placement with leading NGOs in Europe from January until March. 


The Justice Initiative Fellowship will be administered by CEU Legal
Studies Department, in partnership with the Justice Initiative, during
the first year of the program. Financial conditions will be identical to
CEU policies for full scholarship students. Human Rights Fellows will
return to their nominating NGOs after the first year, where they will
spend at least one year working in human rights advocacy on a non-profit
basis: providing legal services, undertaking human rights litigation,
providing training and education, etc. The Justice Initiative will pay a
local salary during this second year equal to an amount determined to be
similar to equivalent work by the nominating NGO. This amount will be
provided to the nominating NGOs in the form of a grant. 

 

Application Procedure 



Applicants must submit their applications to the CEU Admissions Office
(1051 Budapest, Nador street 9, Hungary). They must meet the general CEU
Admissions Requirements, which can be viewed online
(http://www.ceu.hu/admissions.html), as well as the CEU Legal Studies
Department Requirements (http://www.ceu.hu/legal/admissions.html). In
addition, applicants must include with their application:

1.      A nominating letter from an NGO describing the reasons for
nominating the applicant, the expectations the NGO has of the project,
and contractually committing (to the Justice Initiative) to hire the
applicant for at least one year after s/he returns from the twelve-month
training program in Hungary. The nomination letter should also indicate
a monthly salary gross rate in USD (including all taxes and fees) that
will be offered to the applicant by the NGO in the event that s/he is
selected for the program (provided to the NGO by the Justice Initiative
in the form of a grant). 

2.      A copy of the applicant�s bar association membership (if
applicable), or the date scheduled for examination.

3.      Proof of English proficiency (if available). If no language test
has been taken, a test will be carried out during the application
procedure (exact dates to be determined). For applicants from the former
Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe, language tests will be
carried out by local Soros Foundation/Open Society Institute
coordinators. In other regions, applicants will be contacted
individually. 

4.      A statement of purpose for applying to the Justice Initiative
Fellows program. 

5.      A proposal of project activities that the candidate plans to
work on with the nominating NGO during the second year of the
fellowship.

 

The DEADLINE for receiving applications at CEU is January 6, 2005. 

 

If you have questions regarding the first year of the program, please
contact: 

 

Katalin Horvath, Special Programs Coordinator, Legal Studies Department,
Central European University, Nador u. 9, Budapest 1051, tel: +361
327-3205, e-mail: horvathk@ceu.hu, web: http://www.ceu.hu/legal. 

 

For more information about the overall program, please contact: 

 

Rita Bakradze, Fellows Program Coordinator at the Justice Initiative,
Nador u. 11, Budapest 1051, tel: +361 327-3102; fax: +361 327 3103;
e-mail: rbakradze@osi.hu, web: http://www.justiceinitiative.org

 

For more information about this program please visit
http://www.justiceinitiative.org and
http://www.ceu.hu/legal/osji_prog.html

 

This announcement is online at:
http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=102254

 

The Open Society Justice Initiative, an operational program of the Open
Society Institute (OSI), pursues law reform activities grounded in the
protection of human rights, and contributes to the development of legal
capacity for open societies. The Justice Initiative combines litigation,
legal advocacy, technical assistance, and the dissemination of knowledge
to secure advances in five priority areas: national criminal justice,
international justice, freedom of information and expression, equality
and citizenship, and anticorruption. Its offices are in Abuja, Budapest,
and New York.

 

www.justiceinitiative.org