Professional Development Scholarships Program

XXXVII Course on International Law:

“International Law and Contemporary Global Transformations”

                                                                                                                                                                                    OAS/DHDEC/CIR.034/2010

1.         Study site:  Everest Rio Hotel Convention Center, Rua Prudente de Moraes 1117, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro

2.         Coordination:  Department of International Law, Secretariat for Legal Affairs, Organization of American States

3.         Modality:  On-site

4.         Course start and end dates:  August 2 to 20, 2010

5.         Course duration:  Three (3) weeks

6.         Languages:  Spanish and English

7.         Objectives:       Study and discussion of, and update on public and private international law-related topics

8.         Program:  The Course program is designed by the Inter-American Juridical Committee and the Department of International Law of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs of the OAS.  The main topic of this year’s course will be “International Law and Contemporary Global Transformations.”  The course will consist of two morning sessions from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and one afternoon session, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

9.         Certificates: A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants attending at least 90% of classes and who pass two tests administered within the three weeks. Each participant may present a written paper on one of the topics discussed during the course, within six months of its conclusion, having submitted a hypothesis and work outline by the deadline set by the coordination.  If the final paper is deemed satisfactory, the participant will receive a course diploma. 

10.        Requirements:

Applicant must:

• Be a citizen or permanent resident of one of the OAS member states. (Residents must forward a copy of their visa);
• Have a professional degree in international law or international relations.  Candidates must submit a copy of their professional credentials, and certification of courses taken with the respective grades earned;
• Have professional experience in international law and international relations;
• Be no more than 40 years old;
• Be nominated by a government agency, an institution of higher education, or a public or private institution directly related to international law and international relations, which must guarantee that it will utilize the services of the scholarship recipient upon his/her return;
• Have good comprehension of Spanish and English;
• Be physically fit to fulfill the obligations of the course;
• Submit a duly completed application by the deadline established by the respective 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.

 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 will 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:

·         The OAS provides roundtrip economy air fare from the scholarship recipient’s place of residence to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Funds for terminal and in-transit costs are not provided.

• Health and accident insurance for the duration of the course.
• A subsistence allowance in the amount of US$650.00.
• No subsistence allowance will be paid to scholarship recipients residing in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area
• Scholarship recipients will receive information about places in which other scholarship recipients have often been hosted in the past, as well as the names of other scholarship recipients of the same nationality, in case they wish to share accommodation.

13.  Responsibilities of selected candidates:

• Notification of acceptance to the Department of Human Development, Education and Culture (DHDEC):  The selected candidates must notify the OAS, through the Department of Human Development, Education and Culture, of their availability to follow the course during the period indicated, in order for the OAS to make the necessary arrangements to purchase the round trip economy air tickets between the country of origin and the study site.
• Scholarship award acceptance form: The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance of the professional development scholarship by completing and signing the scholarship award acceptance form, to be forwarded to them shortly by the Department of Human Development.  Only when the DHDEC has received the duly signed form will it proceed with the necessary arrangements to purchase the round trip economy air ticket between the scholarship recipient’s country of origin and/or residence and the study site.
• Notice of acceptance to the Department of International Law: The selected candidates must also separately confirm their acceptance of the scholarship to the Department of International Law of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs, through the Course Coordinator, Mr. Diego Moreno, at the following address: [email protected].
• Subsistence cost:  The estimated total cost of subsistence in Rio de Janeiro for each scholarship recipient is approximately US$3,000.00 (calculated as of November 30, 2009). Each participant must defray out of pocket the approximate remainder of US$2,350.00.  (The August 2010 figure may vary.)
• Visas:  The selected scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining in a timely manner the necessary visa(s) to enter the country of study and/or the country or countries of transit (if applicable). The OAS will not be responsible for any costs related to obtaining visas or transfer documentation
• Date of arrival in Rio de Janeiro: Each scholarship recipient is responsible for arriving at the study site in time for the commencement of the course, on the date established by the institution offering the course.

14. Responsibilities with regard to travel costs and expenses in the event the scholarship recipient declines the scholarship, changes date or route, or terminates the scholarship:

·         In the event a selected candidate declines the scholarship after the air ticket has been purchased, without due authorization from Department of Human Development, Education and Culture, or does not travel on the scheduled dates or changes route, the candidate and/or his/her sponsoring institution will have responsibility for the cost of the air ticket or any additional cost incurred.

·         If the scholarship recipient fails to travel on the scheduled dates, or changes route, 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 cost in order to arrive at the course site in time for the commencement of the course.

·         The scholarship recipient must reimburse the GS/OAS the total cost of his/her round trip travel from his/her country of residence to the site where the course will be held if, after the ticket has been purchased, he/she declines the scholarship without written authorization from the Department of Human Development, Education and Culture of the OAS.  This includes any additional costs 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 scholarship recipient declines, cancels, or terminates the scholarship after the course or program has started without providing the GS/OAS with sufficient evidence of the grounds therefor, he/she must reimburse GS/OAS the total amount of costs incurred on his/her behalf.

15.   Presentation of candidacies:

Please note:  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.  There you will find the announcements of all on-site courses.  Click on the one you are interested in and go down to the end of the page, where you will find the Continue button, which will take you to the online application form.

Once the applicant has completed the online application form and submitted it, a copy of the completed form will be automatically sent to his/her e-mail account.  This completed form must be printed, signed, and submitted to the National Liaison Office (ONE) with all other forms, found at the following link:

http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/formspd.aspx?culture=en&navid=282.  

All additional forms must be completed electronically or typed.

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 course announcement is available via the Educational Portal web page at: http://www.educoea.org. 

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