International Service for Human Rights ISHR Africa FELLOWSHIP (€2000/month) 2024 – Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire

International Service for Human Rights ISHR Africa Programme (€2000/month Fellowship) 2023 – Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire. Apply below.

When is Application Deadline: 22nd May 2024 (Midnight, Geneva time)

Tell Me About Award: The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) is an independent, non-profit organisation with offices in Geneva and New York. This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to view the international and regional human rights systems at work. It provides hands-on experience working for an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) as well as the opportunity to contribute to our work supporting human rights defenders, strengthening human rights systems, legal frameworks, building and leading human rights coalitions, and responding to significant and systemic human rights concerns.

ISHR seeks to host a postgraduate Fellow to support our work within the Africa Programme.

Working in a small team, the Fellow will have the opportunity to learn at close hand what it means to work for an international human rights advocacy organization. The Fellow will also have the opportunity to collaborate with ISHR staff in all locations.

In a year’s work with ISHR, the Fellow will gain experience monitoring a number of deliberations and negotiations of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and lobbying and advocating in those fora in line with ISHR’s mandate and priorities. The Fellow will gain hands-on experience on the application of international and regional human rights law in a multilateral human rights system, including advocacy on normative and policy advances for the protection of human rights defenders in Africa.

The Fellow will also contribute to our work on capacity development and legislative protection of defenders at the national level. There may also be opportunities to work at the international level with the United Nations human rights mechanisms.

Scope of work

Through a combination of research and analysis, advocacy, and capacity building, the Fellow will work closely with the Africa Programme Manager, contributing to our work supporting human rights defenders in Africa, strengthening human rights systems, building and leading human rights coalitions, and responding to significant and systemic situations of concern.

Type: Fellowship

Who can Apply? The successful fellow must:

● Be a recent Master or LL.M graduate in human rights law, international public law or equivalent. Recent graduates from other relevant graduate-level programs will be considered as well;
● Have working knowledge of international and regional human rights law;
● Demonstrate familiarity with the UN human rights system, the African Union and the ACHPR mechanisms, as well as issues faced by human rights defenders in Africa;
● Have strong drafting and research skills;
● Be able to report thoroughly and accurately on meetings;
● Be flexible and self-motivated;
● Be able to work as a member of an international and multicultural team and willing to participate in a variety of tasks, as required;
● Ability to effectively work remotely and independently;
● Have excellent written and oral communication skills in French and English, both languages being mandatory for this position;
● Knowledge of official ACHPR languages, especially Arabic and Portuguese is an advantage.

Which Countries are Eligible? African countries

Where will Award be Taken? : Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire or remotely in Africa

How Many Awards? 1

What is the Benefit of Award?

• ISHR has a long-standing history of hosting Fellows. Our Fellows are fully included as part of the team, including in staff meetings, which provide a comprehensive understanding of the work of an international human rights NGO. Fellows also have opportunities to interact and network with human rights defenders, diplomats or other UN and NGO professionals.
• Where appropriate or necessary for their work, ISHR staff will provide practical sessions and guidance, for example on monitoring UN mechanisms, drafting reports and advocacy documents, utilizing communications technologies, etc.

Fellowship modalities

The Fellowship is expected to be a full-time (37.5 hours per week) position and will take place remotely / in Abidjan (if eligible) for a duration of a year.

Remuneration: up to 2000€ / month (depending on location, qualifications and experience)

How Long will Award Last? 1 year. Start date: August or September 2024

How to Apply: Please submit your application by filling out this form and attaching a cover letter, a CV (no picture and maximum 2 pages), 2 relevant writing samples (no more than 5 pages each and including bibliographies).
ISHR will review these products only for the purpose of this recruitment and will not use them for any other purpose.

Visit Award Webpage for Details