OAS/DHD-CIR. 140/2009

1. Study venue: United States Telecommunications Training Institute, 1150 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036, United States of America

2. Offered by: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) under the auspices of the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), Regional Training Center of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL).

3. Coordinator: Ann Shikany, USTTI Curriculum Coordinator, Email: [email protected] Phone: (202) 785-7373, Fax: (202) 785 1930.

4. Modality: On site

5. Start and end dates: October 19 to October 23, 2009

6. Course duration: One week

7. Language: English

8. Objectives: The course is designed to address telecommunications needs for mitigating the effects of natural and manmade disasters in which normal communications are often disrupted by physical damage, system overload, weather conditions, or natural features such as terrain.

Site selection, planning and design considerations, and the purposes and uses of Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) will be featured, along with the requirements for interfacing between EOCs and government officials, public safety operations, public and government media, emergency medical response and radio amateur networks. Participants will tour several types of EOCs, communications centers and commercial television facilities. Special focus will be on methods of tracking and exchanging critical information prior to, during and after an emergency, including use of computerized maps, data management, modeling and communications. The course will cover vulnerability assessment and telecommunications infrastructure development requirements for disaster prone regions, and operational issues such as emergency access to telephone central offices and reordering of existing radio networks.

Participants will be introduced to a wide range of technologies including Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), wireless mobile and fixed satellite and terrestrial communications, remote sensing, Global Positioning System (GPS - positioning location), and Geographic Information System (GIS). Participants will be given the tools to help them evaluate which technologies will be of most potential use to them for a wide range of applications including: refugee management, anti-terrorism, disaster recovery and relief operations, early detection and warning, public safety, public information and emergency medical including telemedicine.

9. Participant Learning Objectives: Participant learning objectives include the ability to make choices concerning the application of disaster related communications technologies and to develop an understanding of information flow and how to integrate available and new communications technologies and services into a disaster network.

10. Requirements:

a. Citizenship or permanent residence of an OAS Member State, with the exception of the United States of America since is the host country.

b. Current job position and years of related work experience. Policy makers and regulatory managers, with two (2) years of experience in strategic planning and management in a field related to the course subject.

c. Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred, but not required.

d. Certificate of proficiency in English, if not mother tongue.

e. Submission of completed online application form by the deadline set by the National Liaison Organization (ONE).[1] It is the candidate’s responsibility to ascertain the deadline set by the ONE in his or her country of residence

f. In addition to the OAS online application, applicants must also submit a formal application through the USTTI. Applications may be filed through USTTI’s web site: http://ustti.org/courses/apply.php3

11. OAS Scholarship Selection Criteria: In accordance with article 4.2 of the Manual of Procedures of the Scholarship and Training Programs of the OAS, OAS scholarships shall be granted based on the following criteria:

a. the objectives and priorities established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development;

b. the training priorities of the member states;

c. the merits and overall credentials of the candidate, including his/her academic and professional background;

d. the financial need of the candidate; and

e. An extensive and equitable geographic distribution for the benefit of all member states and that takes into account the greater needs of the smaller and relatively less developed economies.

12. Benefits:

· For successful candidates, CITEL/OAS will cover round trip economy class air tickets from country of origin or residence to Washington, DC, United States of America. Funds for terminal and in-transit expenses are NOT provided

· USTTI will provide a scholarship of $400.00 to subsidize hotel and living expenses and will waive the $150.00 administrative fee.

13. Responsibilities of selected candidates: Based on shared accommodations and an arrival date of Sunday, October 18th and departure date of Saturday, October 24th, the additional amount needed for this course is USD$400.00

Please be advised that:

· The additional amount needed is based on shared hotel accommodations, per diem and ground transportation expense to and from the airport.

· If single accommodations are requested, an additional USD$300.00 will be required.

· The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance to the OAS General Secretariat Office in their respective countries and through the ONE in order for the OAS to proceed with making the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between their country of origin or residence and the study location or, if the scholarship is refused, to appoint another candidate.

· The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance of the scholarship by signing and returning to DHD their completed “form of acceptance of the scholarship award”; only after this has been done will the OAS proceed with the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between the scholarship recipient’s country of origin and the study location.

· Upon selection, candidates must accept the scholarship by confirming their availability to follow the course during the period indicated and their acceptance of the duly provided conditions of study.

· Selected scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) to enter the country of study and the corresponding transit(s). The OAS will not be responsible for any costs related to obtaining visas or transfer documentation.

· Each scholarship recipient is responsible for arriving in time for the commencement of activities on the date established by the institution offering the course or program.

· If the scholarship recipient fails to travel on the scheduled dates, or change routes, after the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) has purchased his/her travel ticket, he/she will be responsible for paying the difference in ticket costs in order to arrive at the course site in time. The scholarship recipient will furthermore have to reimburse the GS/OAS the total cost of the airfare for his/her travel from his/her country of residence to the site where the Professional Development Course will take place and back if, after the ticket has been purchased, he/she declines the scholarship without written authorization from the Department of Human Development.

· The latter includes any additional costs, if any, incurred by the GS/OAS, such as extra costs for accommodation during the scholarship recipient’s travel to and from the country where the course will be held.

· If the fellow declines, cancels or terminates the Scholarship after the course or program has started without providing the GS/OAS with a compelling reason, he or she will have to reimburse GS/OAS the total amount of incurred costs/expenses.

14. Certification: The participants will receive a diploma from the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), regional Training Center of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission.

15. Presentation of candidacies:

Please Notice: If you were awarded an OAS Professional Development Scholarship in the past twelve (12) months or if you currently hold an OAS Scholarship for Academic Studies, you are not eligible to apply for another Professional Development Scholarship.

The online application form must be completed on-line and can be accessed at: http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/onsite.aspx?culture=en&navid=282 here you’ll find the announcements of all the onsite courses, click on the one you are interested in, go though the end of the page, and then you’ll find the “Continue” button which will direct you to the online application form.

Once the applicant has completed the online application form and submitted it, a copy will be sent automatically to his/her e-mail account. This completed form must be printed, signed and submitted to the National Liaison Office (ONE). This is a mandatory requirement. With all other forms (http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/formspd.aspx?culture=en&navid=282)

All the additional forms must be completed electronically or in typewritten format.

The following is the list of National Liaison Organizations (ONEs) in the OAS Member states: http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/ones.aspx?culture=en&navid=282

Please note that the official announcement is published in the Educational Portal of the Americas Web page at: http://www.educoea.org.

Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to: [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: THESE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS CORRESPONDING TO THE 2009 REGULAR BUDGET

Department of Human Development