Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland Galway
International Criminal Court Summer School
27 June - 1 July 2016
Deadline for registration: 10 June 2016

The International Criminal Court is arguably the most important international institution since the establishment of the United Nations. The aim of the International Criminal Court is to combat impunity for atrocities and it is at the forefront of a broader movement for achieving accountability.

The ICC Summer School at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland Galway is the premier summer school on the International Criminal Court. The summer school takes place over five days and includes intensive lectures by leading specialists on the subject as well as social activities. This interactive and stimulating course is suited to postgraduate students, legal professionals, scholars and NGO workers. Participants are provided with a detailed working knowledge of the establishment of the Court, its structures and operations, and the applicable law. Lectures also speak to related issues in international criminal law, including: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, the crime of aggression, jurisdiction, fair trial rights, and the rules of procedure and evidence.

This year’s ICC Summer School will include a special session on victims at the International Criminal Court.

Please note that a limited number of scholarships are available. More information can be found on our General Information page.

Poznań Human Rights Center and Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
Summer Course 'Refugees and Migrants in International Human Rights Law'
22 - 31 August 2016
Deadline for application: 31 May 2016 

Poznań Human Rights Center and Adam Mickiewicz University are pleased to announce the 25th edition of the Summer Course that will take place in Poznań on 22-31 August 2016. The programme focuses on legal aspects of the situation of refugees and migrants – a problem of growing importance in both Europe and worldwide. It has both an academic profile and aims to develop practical skills.

The Course is dedicated to activists in the field of human rights, NGO workers and volunteers, lawyers, researchers and advanced students from all over the world.
More information information can be found on the Poznań Human Rights Center website.

Human Rights Centre, University of Essex
PhD Studentship on Health and Human Rights
Deadline for application: 31 May 2016 

The Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project, housed at the Human Rights Centre of the University of Essex, is seeking applications for a PhD studentship to undertake research concerned with health and human rights. This studentship includes research into:
• The degree to which interventions such as e-health and m-health can contribute to the practical delivery of health rights;
• Whether or not big data, including Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, can help accountability bodies, such as UN human rights treaty-bodies and national human rights institutions, hold duty-bearers to account in relation to health rights;
• An examination of the evidence, including big data, that human rights contribute to health gains.

The studentship will be under the supervision of Professor Paul Hunt and Dr Linsey McGoey. Professor Sonia Bhalotra will also provide guidance and support. The successful candidate will work with their supervisors and the Work Stream Team to develop their precise PhD project. Funding packages are available, subject to eligibility.

More information about the studentship can be found on the Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project website. 

Institute for Human Rights, Åbo Akademi University, Turku/Åbo, Finland
Advanced Course on Justiciability of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Theory and Practice
21 - 25 November 2016
Deadline for application: 14 August 2016

The Institute for Human Rights of the Åbo Akademi University organises the Advanced Course on Justiciability of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in cooperation with the Socio-Economic Rights and Administrative Justice Project, University of Stellenbosch Law Faculty, South Africa, and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at the University of Oslo. The course is part of the programme of the Global School on Socio-economic Rights.
This one-week intensive course offers participants an opportunity to develop specialist-level knowledge in the field of economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights), with a particular focus on justiciability at the national, regional and international level. It draws on a wealth of material from across the world in order to analyse existing institutionalised practices of interpretation and implementation of ESC rights, and focuses on theoretical questions and practical issues, such as effective strategies and the impact of adjudication. The course is conducted in English, and is composed of lectures, seminars, group discussions and assignments, participant case analyses and an optional written examination.

Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism, McGill University (Canada)
Arnold & Blema Steinberg Postdoctoral Fellowships in International Migration Law and Policy
Deadline for application: 30 April 2016

The McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism is a focal point for innovative legal and interdisciplinary research, dialogue, and outreach on human rights and legal pluralism. The Centre's mission is to provide students, professors and the larger community with a locus of intellectual and physical resources for engaging critically with how law impacts upon some of the most compelling social problems of our modern era. The Centre is delighted to be able to offer two Postdoctoral Research Fellowships beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year. The vision and generosity of the Steinberg Foundation is at the heart of this new and exciting opportunity. 

The Postdoctoral Research Fellowships will be funded by the Arnold and Blema Steinberg Foundation and the appointment(s) shall be for an initial duration of one year with a possibility of renewal for one more year. 

European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)
Scholarship for the Legal Training Program
Deadline for application: 15 May 2016

Starting a career in international human rights work can require more than just having the requisite passion, motivation and skills. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and the Kreuzberger Kinderstiftung, the scholarship sponsor, recognize this. There continue to be barriers to entry into the profession that go against the spirit of our work, i.e. when economic or social considerations prevent potential participants from taking part in our programs.

With this in mind, the Kreuzberger Kinderstiftung scholarship for ECCHR’s Legal Training Program offers young people with limited financial means and/or from underrepresented geographic and social backgrounds the chance to gain professional experience in human rights work.

University of Geneva
Geneva Summer Schools: 'Children at the heart of Human Rights'
6 - 17 June 2016
Deadline for application: 1 May 2016

Geneva has long been one of the world’s capitals of international law and the headquarters of international institutions dedicated to human rights. This inspiring context naturally has led to one of the core strengths of the University of Geneva to be within the domain of international human rights laws and policies.

The Summer School ‘Children at the Heart of Human Rights’ is a unique opportunity for students and young professionals to engage with leading experts in a dynamic scientific interdisciplinary environment. It is the perfect academic and professional preparation experience for those students interested in children’s rights and international human rights organizations.

Open Society Foundations, Budapest, London, New York
Aryeh Neier Fellowship Program
Deadline for application: 24 April 2016

The Open Society Justice Initiative, part of the Open Society Foundations, uses law to protect and empower people around the world. Through litigation, advocacy, research, and technical assistance, the Justice Initiative promotes human rights and builds legal capacity for open societies. The Justice Initiative fosters accountability for international crimes, combats racial discrimination and statelessness, supports criminal justice reform and accountability for atrocity crimes, addresses abuses related to national security and counterterrorism, expands freedom of information and expression, and stems corruption linked to the exploitation of natural resources. 

The Open Society Justice Initiative (the Justice Initiative) is pleased to invite applications for its 2017-2018 Aryeh Neier Fellowship Program, a two-year program of practical work experience designed to expand the capacity of lawyers and advocates working internationally on human rights issues by embedding them as an integral part of the Justice Initiative.

Inclusion Europe, Brussels
Policy Officer
Deadline for application: 25 April 2016

Inclusion Europe is the European Association of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families. The association fights for equal rights and full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in all aspects of life.

Inclusion Europe has a vacancy for a Policy Officer.

National University of Ireland, Galway
8th International Disability Law Summer School: 'The New Politics of Disability – Civil Society Impacting Change Throughout the World'
20 - 24 June 2016 

Registration is now open for the biggest Summer School in the world with a focus on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This year the School will focus on many examples of creativity in civil society throughout the world in making the most of the ‘new politics of disability’ for change made possible by the UN disability treaty. It will explore examples of how civil society is using the convention to bring about change, how civil society is achieving higher impact by working through and with other agents of change including human rights commissions and new university-based legal clinics. Examples will come from Peru, Georgia, Argentina, China and more. And it will also examine the new more restrictive environment throughout the world for civil society and its implications for disability DPOs. As is usual, the Summer School will also expose the participants to the basics of the Convention and how it can be used on the ground. The Summer School will also feature its popular Moot Court exercise which will be presided over by a member of the Irish Supreme Court.

Human Rights Centre, University of Padova (Italy)
MA Degree Programme in Human Rights and Multi-level Governance
Deadline for application: 22 April 2016

This Master’s Degree, taught in English, provides students with the knowledge and skills required to protect and promote human rights in multi-level governance contexts. Students learn how to analyse, assess and manage complex political and socio-economic phenomena and their impact on the fundamental rights of all persons, mainly the most vulnerable ones. The scientific and value-based paradigm adopted is rooted in the principles of the international law of human rights, according to a transnational and transcultural approach. The curriculum is inherently multi-disciplinary and nurtures students’ interdisciplinary abilities.

All the information about the MA Course, including the admission procedures and deadlines are available here.

Netherlands Committee of Jurists for Human Rights (NJCM), Amsterdam
PILP Project Assistant 
Deadline for application: 2 May 2016 

The Netherlands Committee of Jurists for Human Rights (NJCM) is the Dutch section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). It seeks to promote and protect human rights in the Netherlands. The NJCM critically monitors legislation and policy in the Netherlands, including foreign policy, for compliance with national, European and international human rights standards. When necessary the NJCM writes commentaries on national policy documents and draft legislation to lobby for human rights protection in Parliament. In May 2014 the NJCM started with the Public Interest Litigation Project (PILP). This is a two-year pilot with which NJCM explores the possibilities of strategic litigation in the field of human rights in the Netherlands. PILP is looking for a Project Assistant (4/5).

Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, UK
Senior Research Officer
Deadline for application: 28 April 2016

The Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project, housed at the Human Rights Centre of the University of Essex, is seeking to recruit a senior research officer to work on a new project on the human rights implications of ICT and big data.

Fair Trials Europe, Brussels
Legal and Policy Officer
Deadline for application: 29 April 2016

Fair Trials is an international human rights NGO, which exists to build respect for the human right to a fair trial in criminal cases. It pursues its vision of a world where every person’s right to a fair trial is respected by: providing information and referrals to accused people; coordinating a growing network of fair trial defenders and delivering legal training; and tackling the big issues in criminal justice through research, campaigns, policy work and litigation.

Fair Trials currently has a vacancy for a full time Legal and Policy Officer.