Summer School - Strategic Human Rights Litigation, 10-14 July 2017, Hungary

Human rights litigation is one of the methods by which civil society organizations can bring about social change. This course for human rights professionals will develop the skills and knowledge needed to successfully bring cases to the regional human rights systems and the UN Treaty bodies, and to use those cases to achieve practical change. Participants will be invited to provide information on concrete cases that they are involved in which will be discussed during the course.

 

The course encourages participants to approach human rights litigation strategically, viewing litigating a human rights case as one step in the process of achieving social change. It includes modules that examine the steps involved in strategic litigation, such as case selection, client care, and forum choice. It also uses case studies to explore how to build a strong evidential record in support of the case, how to develop campaigning and advocacy to raise awareness of the issues involved, and how to implement a successful judgment.

 

A faculty of human rights practitioners from the Open Society Justice Initiative will be joined by visiting experts, creating a wide body of expertise. Workshops will focus on key skills such as advocacy in support of ligation, legal drafting, communications and media, and dealing with the ethical problems that arise in human rights cases. Modules in specific subject areas will allow participants to examine key issues in their field, including discrimination, economic and social rights, violations in the context of migration, rights upon arrest, and torture and ill-treatment in detention.

HOW TO APPLY

Please read the following directions carefully.

Below is the list of the documents you need to prepare or arrange for submission:

1. Completed online SUN Application Form
2. A full curriculum vitae or resume
3. Statement of Purpose
4. Brief summary of a case you have been involved in (in English)

Optional attachments:

• A copy of an English language proficiency certificate (if available)
• Letter of Recommendation 

1. Online Application Form

SUN's Online Application Form, delivered by Embark, enables the online submission of the application form itself as well as all other relevant documentation, including CV's and resumes, letter of recommendation, statements of purpose and application essays (such as research proposal, case study, paper proposal, writing samples, academic records, etc.), eliminating all paper mailing to the SUN Office.

In addition, applicants will be able to use this system to track their progress and learn the outcome of their admissions evaluation online. Admissions decisions will be available to applicants as soon as they are entered into the system.

Please note that you can only apply to one course.

The application form is password-protected. 

1. a) In case you have started an application for our program in previous years, you can use your old login and password and can log in as a "Returning Embark User" (right-hand side of the page). In case you cannot remember your old password, click on the "Forget your password?" link.
2. b) In case you have not started an application before, please register first in the "New User?" section (left-hand side of the page). For registration please click on "Create an Account" and provide the requested information. Embark will send you your password by email and then you can log in and start your application, this time already as a returning user.

Further user's instructions for the online application are included in the form itself.

2. A full curriculum vitae or resume

Please upload your Curriculum Vitae or resume. If you have published any writing relevant to your human rights or litigation work, please include this.

3. Statement of Purpose

In the Statement of Purpose please explain why you would like to attend this course and how you seek to integrate the learning into your existing knowledge and experience.  Please include what litigation you are currently conducting, or what litigation you plan to develop, and how attending this course would impact on your future human rights practice.

4. Brief summary of a case you have been involved in (in English)

Please provide a brief summary (less than 1 page) of a human rights case in which you are or have been involved, anonymised if necessary. Successful participants will be asked to expand this summary into a more detailed case study which will be used in course discussions.

Optional attachments:

• A copy of an English language proficiency certificate (if available) for non-native speakers of English

As proof of your English language proficiency, if you have passed a language exam, please upload a scanned copy of the exam result in the online system.

• Letter of Recommendation

You can arrange for a letter of recommendation to be written by a referee (faculty member, job supervisor, etc.) who can attest to your abilities, qualifications and academic/professional performance. Please advise the referee about the title and content of the course you are applying to. The letter must be completed in English and submitted by the referee online via the online application facility.

All application materials must be submitted electronically with the online application form. CEU does not accept application documents by e-mail or fax. Candidates who may experience difficulties with the online submission of their documents should contact the SUN Office.

CEU does not return application documents, or copies thereof under any circumstances. Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Inquiries

If you need help or more information during the application process, please feel free to contact the SUN staff:

E-mail for inquiry and correspondence: summeru@ceu.edu
Tel: (36-1) 327-3811
Fax: (36-1) 327-3124

Notification

The SUN Office will notify applicants about the selection results around the end of April. Please check the 'Important course dates' section on the relevant course web sites for earlier or later planned notification deadlines. The final decision is not open to appeal.