OAS Department of Human Development

Professional Development Scholarship Program

“Romulo Gallegos” Scholarship

                                                                                                                                                                                            OAS/DHD-CIR.070/2008

1) Venue of Fellowship: Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Address: 1889 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, United States of America

2) Modality: On-site

3) Deadline to present applications: July 25, 2008

4) Start and End Dates: September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009

5) Length of the Fellowship: One (1) Year

6) Objectives: To provide an opportunity for young lawyers from OAS Member States to understand and apply the mechanisms of protection of the Inter-American System of Human Rights.

7) Program: a) To assist with tasks of the Executive Secretariat of the Commission, under the supervision of its human rights specialists during the period of the fellowship; and b) at the end of the fellowship, to present to the Executive Secretariat of the IACHR a detailed report on activities carried out by the fellow.

8) Requirements:

• Be a citizen of an OAS Member State;
• Be bilingual in Spanish and English (attach certificates testifying thereto), knowledge of French or Portuguese desirable;
• Have graduated in law from an officially recognized university (attach copy of the degree and grades obtained);
• Have a demonstrable professional interest in the legal field of human rights;
• Have received a university degree in law after January 1, 2002;
• Present a paper of up to five pages on one or more human rights issues of interest to the candidate;

9) Benefits:

· The OAS provides a total stipend of US$31,200.00 for the period covered by the fellowship, that is, US$2,600.00 per month for 12 months;

· Round-trip economy class air transportation from the participant’s country of residence to Washington, D.C.[1];

· Health insurance coverage for emergencies only.

10) Responsibilities of the Selected Candidates:

· Once an applicant has been selected, he/she should confirm with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights his/her availability to complete the fellowship during the specified time period, and confirm his/her participation with the Department of Human Development so that the OAS may proceed with the necessary arrangements for purchase of round-trip economy class air transportation between the candidate’s home country and Washington, D.C.

· In the event a candidate accepts a fellowship but cannot complete it, for whatever reason, he/she must immediately inform the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the OAS Department of Human Development so they may decide the course of action to take.

· If the fellowship 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 timely for the fellowship.

· The fellowship recipient will furthermore have to reimburse the GS/OAS the total cost of the airfare for travel from his/her country of residence to the fellowship site 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 fellowship will be held.

· If the candidate resigns, cancels or terminates the fellowship after the program has begun without providing sufficient reason and evidence to the GS/OAS for doing so, he/she will fully reimburse the GS/OAS for all costs incurred on his/her behalf.

· The OAS will provide the candidate a document certifying his/her selection as an official Fellow of the IACHR-OAS so that he/she may request the corresponding visa, which is the responsibility of the selected candidate. It is the responsibility of each selected candidate to request and obtain the necessary visa to enter the country of the fellowship, and/or transit visa (if applicable) in a timely manner. The OAS will not incur in any expense related to immigration documents and fees, visas, travel insurance or spending money.

• The Commission will award a participation certificate for the Romulo Gallegos Fellowship program only after the successful completion of the fellowship’s total duration period.

11) Presentation of Candidates: The online application form must be completed on-line and can be accessed at: https://www.oas.org/fms/Announcement.aspx?id=70&Type=2&Lang=spa

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 sent along with all required documents and the other forms contained in the following link

http://www.educoas.org/portal/es/oasbecas/formapd.aspx?culture=es&navid=281

to the Department of Human Development of the OAS, 1889 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, USA, before the posted deadline.

Please note that this announcement is available 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].

The Rómulo Gallegos fellowship is a professional development program and not an academic or study fellowship.

Maria Levens, Director
Department of Human Development