Justice Initiative Fellows Program, Budapest

Deadline: 24 January, 2013
Open to : Applicants from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, Middle East and Central/South America who demonstrate a strong commitment to human rights, have a university degree, and have a high degree of proficiency in English
Fellowship : Covers tuition and medical insurance. In addition, full fellowship recipients are awarded a monthly stipend of 96,000 HUF

The Open Society Justice Initiative together with Central European University (CEU) calls for applications for its 2013-2015 Justice Initiative Fellows Program. The Justice Initiative Fellows Program is a two-year program of study and practical work experience whose objective is to support and further develop a network of lawyers and activists working internationally on human rights issues.

Scholarship description

• During the first year of the fellowship, Fellows will undertake a human rights degree program at CEU’s Legal Studies Department (either an M.A. or LL.M., depending on their undergraduate degree). This first year of study also includes a three-month internship with a leading European human rights organization. Fellows will receive a full scholarship for their CEU studies.
• During the second year of the fellowship, the fellows will be employed by their nominating NGO to conduct human rights advocacy on a non-profit basis. Their work can range from providing legal services, to undertaking human rights litigation, to providing training and human rights education.
• The Fellows’ salary during this second year of practical work will be paid by the Justice Initiative in the form of a grant to the nominating organization. Compensation will be based on the nominating NGO’s practices as well as local pay scales.

Eligibility

• Applicants from the following regions are eligible: Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central/South America.
• Applicants must be nominated by a national non-governmental organization (NGO) concerned with human rights. 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. The applicant must demonstrate a strong commitment to human rights, and have a university degree and a high degree of proficiency in English.

Application

Application form can be found here
All applications must be submitted electronically.
As part of the online application, applicants must submit the following additional documents:
1. A nomination 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 case s/he is selected for the program (provided to the NGO by the Justice Initiative in the form of a grant).
2. Proof of English proficiency (the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or other substitute tests found here).
3. A statement of purpose for applying to the Justice Initiative Fellows program.
4. 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 24, 2012, 24:00 Pacific Standard Time (PST).

Contacts

For more information regarding the first year of the program, please contact:
Andrea Jenei
Special Programs Coordinator
Legal Studies Department
Central European University
Nador u. 9, Budapest 1051
Tel: +361 882-3205
Email: jeneia@ceu.hu
Web:  http://legal.ceu.hu/
For more information regarding the overall program and the second year commitment, please contact:
Anna Fischer
Fellows Program Officer
Open Society Justice Initiative
Oktober 6. u. 12, Budapest 1051
Tel: +361 882-3108
Fax: +361 882 3103
Email: afischer@osi.hu
Web: www.justiceinitiative.org/
Official website