Human Rights

Human Rights Advocates Program 2006 at Columbia University (USA)The application for the 2006 session of the annual Human RightsAdvocates Program (HRAP) at Columbia University is now available.Human rights advocates based in the Global South as well as grassrootsactivists in the United States are eligible to apply. The Program,Human Rights Advocacy and the Global Economy, is exclusively foractivists working on problems that result from the impacts of theglobal economic system.The Program features a four-month residency at Columbia University inNew York City with a structured curriculum of advocacy, networking,skills-building, and academic course work. HRAP is designed to prepareproven human rights leaders from the Global South and marginalizedcommunities in the U.S. to participate in national and internationalpolicy debates on economic globalization by building their skills,knowledge, and contacts. An equally important part of the program isto promote debate and dialogue on the global economy between thesegrassroots leaders and the faculty and students at ColumbiaUniversity, as well as in the NGO, policy-making, and corporatecommunities.The Program is designed for lawyers, journalists, teachers, communityorganizers, and other human rights activists working withnon-governmental organizations who work on human rights issues. Thecurrent focus of the Human Rights Advocates Program seeks to cover keyimpacts of the global economy, particularly on the following issues:* Labor rights* Migration* Health* Environmental justice* Corporate social accountability* International financial institutionsActivists working in the above areas from a gender perspective arestrongly encouraged to apply. Participants are selected on the basisof their previous work experience on human rights and the globaleconomy, commitment to the human rights field, and demonstratedability to complete graduate level studies.Full-time students or government officials will not be considered.Advocates must secure institutional endorsement from theirorganizations for their participation in the program and must committo returning to that organization upon completion of the Program.Activists must also be originating from and residing in either theGlobal South or the United States. Fluency in English is required.This extremely competitive program will admit up to ten applicants.The program will take place from the middle of August to the middle ofDecember 2006.The completed application is due by February 28, 2006. Please notethat late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. For furtherinformation or to download copies of the application, please refer tothe website at:http://www.columbia.edu/cu/humanrights/training/adv/hradv_pgm.htmCONTACT:Margaret LadnerDirector, Human Rights Advocates ProgramCenter for the Study of Human RightsColumbia University1108 IAB, MC: 3365Columbia University, NY, NY 10027Tel: 212-854-3014www.columbia.edu/cu/humanrights