23 September 2015

School of Law, NUI Galway (Ireland)
Doctoral Scholarships
Deadline for application: 16 October 2015

The School of Law, NUI Galway is committed to high-quality research and to enhancing its position as a centre of scholarship, nationally and internationally. The key research strength of the School of Law lies in the area of public law but many of its academics are research-active in areas of private law and legal and political theory. 

The School is renowned for its two main research centres, the Irish Centre for Human Rights and the Centre for Disability Law and Policy. The Irish Centre for Human Rights makes significant contributions to developing of a body of specialised human rights, international humanitarian law and conflict studies literature. The Centre for Disability Law & Policy provides an innovative model for interdisciplinary research. It has formed an active collaboration with the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology and the Child and Family Support Research Centre. 

The School of Law is currently accepting applications for two PhD Scholarships. 
Open Society Foundations - Open Society Justice Initiative, London
Advocacy Officer
Deadline for application: 29 September 2015

The Open Society Justice Initiative uses law to protect and empower people around the world. Our approach is based on the foundations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, and focused on securing legal remedies for abuses, and the effective enforcement of the rule of law.

Through litigation, advocacy, research, and technical assistance, the Justice Initiative promotes human rights and builds legal capacity for open societies, and fosters accountability for international crimes, combats racial discrimination and statelessness, supports criminal justice reform, addresses abuses related to national security and counterterrorism, expands freedom of information and expression, and stems corruption linked to the exploitation of natural resources.

We recognize that changes in laws and institutions are incomplete without changes in how people think about the law’s relevance to their daily live, and collaborate with a community of dedicated and skillful human rights advocates across the globe, part of a justice movement that reflects the diversity of the world it inhabits.


Based in the London office, the Advocacy Officer will develop and implement advocacy strategies and tactics on a broad range of issues, primarily in Europe, although this position does not include advocacy in Brussels, as OSF has a dedicated office there.
Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France
Human Rights Advisor
Deadline for application: 7 October 2015 

Based in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe brings together 47 member states to protect and promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law throughout Europe and beyond. As a Human Rights Advisor, you will have a central part to play within the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, contributing substantially to our mission.

Enjoying considerable variety and visibility, you will organise and attend visits to member states, including analysing reports by monitoring bodies, drafting briefings, making arrangements with authorities and forging links with NGOs and civil society. Operating alongside the Commissioner, you will ensure that visits are meaningful and productive, and will prepare thematic reports, statements, speeches and action plans to translate recommendations into action. Equally importantly, you will lead projects and regularly speak at conferences and seminars, so you will be pivotal to the safeguarding and extension of human rights across Europe.


Qualified to master’s degree level in Law or Political Science, you will bring a proven record in promoting and protecting human rights. This will have given you the confidence and technical skills to address human rights issues in national and international settings, backed by familiarity with our own conventions and institutions. You will bring exceptional quality control, writing and management skills, and you will be capable of building respectful relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Applications should be made in English or French using the Council of Europe online application system before the deadline of 7 October 2015.

21 September 2015

Open Society Foundations
Disability Rights Scholarship Program
Deadline for application: 2 November 2015

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. Their Disability Rights Scholarship Program provides awards for master’s degree study to disability rights advocates, lawyers, and educators to develop new legislation, jurisprudence, policy, research, and scholarship to harness the innovations and opportunities offered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

11 September 2015

Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Sachsen-Anhalt (Germany)
1 Postdoctoral and 2 PhD positions
Deadline for application: 31 October 2015

The Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology is one of the world’s leading centres for research in social anthropology. Common to all research projects at the Max Planck Institute is the comparative analysis of social change; it is primarily in this domain that its researchers contribute to anthropological theory, though many programmes also have applied significance and political topicality.

The Research Group ‘How Terrorists Learn’ at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, led by Dr. Carolin Görzig, is offering 1 Postdoctoral and 2 PhD positions starting 1 January 2016.

07 September 2015

Academy of European Law (ERA)
'The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in Practice' - Training seminar for legal professionals
22-23 October 2015, Barcelona

This seminar will provide practical training for employment and social law practitioners on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Participants will be able to update their knowledge about the Charter of Fundamental Rights, in particular as applied to social and labour law. They will have the opportunity to discuss with colleagues and experts from across Europe the most relevant practical issues and recent developments in the field and to learn how to make use of the Charter in a case before a court.
Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo
Advanced Course on the Human Right to Education
2-6 November 2015
Deadline for application: 15 September 2015

The NCHR Academy of Human Rights is pleased to announce the 2015 Advanced Course on the Human Right to Education. This five-day intensive course has an inter-disciplinary focus on right to primary and secondary education. It aims to equip participants with specialist-level knowledge, enable critical discussion and network building with practitioners and scholars from across the globe.
European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC), Venice Lido (Italy)
Training for International Electoral Observers

Module I: 23-25 November 2015
Module II: 26-28 November 2015

Deadline for application: 30 October 2015 


International election observation plays an important role in international relations since almost thirty years. The Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation adopted by the UN in 2005 is one of the first attempts of the international Community to set up standard rules recognized at international level. The European Union is strongly committed to contribute to all democratic processes around the world through various activities which include the electoral observation. The adoption of EU guidelines on preconditions for EU observation missions and a code of conduct for EU electoral observers represented an important step towards enhanced co-ordination and serve as a basis for all electoral observers.

EIUC has developed two three-day modules aiming at providing training to civilian staff in election observation missions at the first steps of their career (i.e. short term observers). Selected applicants will be allowed to become aware of the role, the tasks and the status of international observers, and will be given a theoretical and practical training on election observation and election observation missions functioning.