Deadline: 24 October 2011
Open to: People working in NGOs on the topic of human rights in the following countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine
The Minority Rights Group Global Advocacy Training Programme is a comprehensive virtual and live training programme for Civil Society activists working in the field of minority rights protection.
The programme will provide the following
12 week online course: This detailed online study programme will provide participants with a comprehensive overview of International and European Human Rights standards, with a particular focus on standards relating to ethnic, linguistic, national and religious minorities. The study programme will further demonstrate how knowledge of the international system can be used to develop effective human rights campaigning and lobbying strategies. The contents of the study programme are listed below, each participant will be assigned their own tutor, who will be available online to support them throughout the programme. The online course and tutoring is available in English or Russian.
Online Training Programme Contents: Introduction to human rights and minority rights – Introduction to the UN human rights system – UN legal instruments protecting minorities – UN political mechanisms for protecting minorities – European Instruments & Mechanisms – State reporting and shadow reports – Participation in international meetings – Taking up individual cases – Thematic focus: Multiple discrimination – Guide to advocacy campaigns –Networking
Live Training on Advocacy and Lobbying: Selected participants from the online training will be invited to participate in a one week intensive training in Strasbourg, France. The training will focus on practical campaigning and lobbying skills. Additional live trainings will be provided in 2012, enabling participants to gain experience of advocacy and lobbying with the following European and Central Asia regional bodies, the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN).
In Country Follow Up: Selected programme participants will be provided with small grants from Minority Rights Group (MRG), to undertake advocacy activities at national and local level, applying the skills and knowledge gained from the training. Grants will be available in 2011 and 2012
International Exchange: Selected programme participants will be invited to undertake exchange visits, with participants from other countries within Europe and Central Asia and also from Africa and Asia. These visits will provide opportunity to share best practice and learning and will improve networking amongst minority activists at an international level.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be working for organisations, working in or monitoring human rights in the following countries:EUROPE and CENTRAL ASIA: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine.
- Twenty (20) applicants will be selected from each country. There will be a mximum of 15 places per country for the Russian language course. NOTE: Additional courses will be run in 2012 for participants from other countries. If your country is not named above, please look out for future calls for applications. The course will also be run in other languages including French and Mandarin in 2012.
- Up to 2 participants can be accepted from each organisation. However if an organisation wishes to have more than one participant, it must ensure that at least 1 applicant is female.
- Applicants must be competent in either English or Russian.
- Applicants can be paid or voluntary workers. However they must have a minimum of 2 years experience working on human rights issues.
- Preference will be given to applicants from minority communities or who represent organisations working directly with minority communities.
- Preference will be given to applicants from organisations, who work specifically on minority rights issues. (If possible please include references to minority rights in, organisation strategy documents, statutes or statements of aims). Other applications will be considered, but organisations need to show clearly how their work links with minority communities.
- Preference will be given to applications that can show clearly how the course skills and knowledge will be used to support their organisations advocacy for minority rights in practice.
- Applicants will guarantee a commitment of an average of 3 hours a week for 12 weeks. However, the course is designed to be flexible. 3 hours, refers to the average time spent per week. Organisations must provide agreement that staff can have sufficient time to undertake the course.
- Applicants must be in a position to undertake the course and also to make use of its skills and knowledge. This means applicants must be able to receive and distribute the course materials and submit assignments on time. It also means that you are undertaking a course to gain skills that result in ‘visible’ advocacy, this means submitting information to international organisations and attending meetings, where you will be visible to your governments. If this is not possible, because of security threats, interference or harassment, then this course may not be appropriate for your organisation at this stage.
Application
You can apply by filling in the Application form. Before filling in the application form, please read the elegibility requirements carefully. The deadline for submitting the application is 24 October 2011.
You may submit a CV or further information on your organisation to support your application. However the final decision will be based on the contents of the application form. So please ensure you complete it as completely as possible.
Please send applications by email (mikkel.marienlund@mrgmail.org). If this is not possible, you may send them by fax, but please also send a copy by post because sometimes the fax may not be legible.
If you will be away from your office during the period when MRG will be selecting participants and requiring them to confirm that they will attend the training, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you nominate someone in your office to check your post/e-mail/fax, to see whether you have been selected for the training and to reply to confirm that you will attend. IF YOU ARE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE AND DO NOT CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE BY 18th FEBRUARY, MRG WILL ASSUME YOU WILL NOT PARTICIPATE, AND YOUR PLACE WILL BE OFFERED TO ANOTHER APPLICANT.
You can read more about MRH – Here
The official webpage of the organization
