OHCHR Minorities Fellowship Programme 2015

The Minorities Fellowship Programme (MFP) was launched by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2005.

Through the MFP, the OHCHR aims to give persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities an opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with international human rights in general and minority rights in particular.

The MFP is intended to assist organizations and communities in protecting and promoting the rights of minorities the fellows belong to.

The Fellows are based at the OHCHR Geneva, Switzerland. The MFP is interactive and consists of briefings on several topics (e.g. the UN system, OHCHR work, human rights mechanisms and instruments), fellows also undertake individual and group assignments.

Where:  Geneva, Switzerland

When: Monday, 26th of October 2015 to Friday, 27th  of November 2015.

Who can apply?
1. The candidate must belong to a national, ethnic, linguistic or religious minority group (persons who do not belong to a minority group will not be taken into consideration, even if they have close links with minority communities and/or organizations) 2. Formal education should not be a limitation to participation in the Minorities Fellowship Programme, if relevant experience can be demonstrated.

3. Candidates should have ability, willingness and possibility to train other persons belonging to minorities upon return to their respective communities/organizations and should agree to do so.
4. The candidates must have a good working knowledge of the language in which the programme is imparted (English).
5. The candidate should be proposed and his/her candidacy supported by his/her organization and/or community. It is desirable that the sponsoring organization has a firm constituency or membership, is representative, undertakes work on minority issues and is composed of persons belonging to minorities.
6. The overall goal of the Minorities Fellowship Programme is to offer persons belonging to minorities the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in the field of international human rights in order to assist their organizations and communities in protecting and promoting human and minority rights. Therefore, it is important that the candidate proposed and nominated by a minority organization or community be someone who will return to his or her NGO to work in this field.

Fellows are entitled to the following:

• Return ticket (economy class) from the country of residence to Geneva; 
• Basic health insurance for the duration of the Programme
• Stipend to cover modest accommodation and other living expenses for the duration of the Programme

 How to apply?

Fellowship application forms can be downloaded from the following link:

Application form 2015

Deadline: Monday, 6 April 2015.

For more information visit OHCHR Minorities Fellowship Programme