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UN Rights and Religion Fellowship
What is the Outright UN Rights and Religion Fellowship?
The Outright UN Rights and Religion Fellowship is an 8- to 12-month program that supports human rights defenders of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) to harness the New York-based United Nations system to add value to their existing work. This year, Outright will select 4 Fellows.
The program is designed to support the existing work of activists in the global South and East working to defend people of diverse SOGIESC from the impact of religiously motivated violence and discrimination.
The aim of the UN Rights and Religion Fellowship is four-fold:
1.
Facilitate the use of United Nations spaces for activists of diverse SOGIESC from the global South and East to enhance their networks and to identify new entry points for progressing the protection and promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people’s human rights in their country and/or region.
2.
Increase visibility and engagement of human rights defenders of diverse SOGIESC from the global South and East within high-level UN fora, specifically in response to religiously-motivated homophobia, biphobia, interphobia, transphobia and queerphobia.
3.
Build the capacity of United Nations agencies and state representatives in advancing the human rights of people of diverse SOGIESC.
4.
Strengthen networks, including relationships with New York-based diplomats and organizations that focus on combating religiously motivated violence and discrimination.
How it Works
The Outright UN Rights and Religion Fellowship will start in April 2024 (the exact date is TBC). The program will focus on key advocacy opportunities, starting with Outright’s annual UN Advocacy Week and one other UN New York-based process, such as the High-Level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, or the Summit of the Future. The Fellowship will include advocacy training sessions and regular meetings with Outright staff.
Expectations
Outright UN Rights and Religion Fellows are expected to attend trainings, meetings, and advocacy events online and two High-Level events in person in New York. Fellows will be expected to participate in communications, such as social media and reflection blogs. Fellows will be required to produce a final report of their experience of the fellowship. Fellows will also present a grant proposal to continue implementation of their skills back home, at the end of their fellowship.
Logistics
Fellows will be funded to travel to two meetings in New York, each of which generally lasts 1 to 2 weeks. Funding includes roundtrip airfare, accommodations, visa fees, ground transportation, and per diem. The Fellow will also be provided with a grant of USD $5,000.00 to support the implementation of their newly acquired skill-set into their work in their home country.
Experience
Outright’s UN Rights and Religion Fellows should:
- Reside and work in the global South or East
- Demonstrate an interest and track record in advocacy aimed at advancing the rights of people of diverse SOGIESC
- Be available and committed to participate in online courses and events
- Be available and committed to participate in high-level meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York
- Be proficient in written and spoken English
Experience working with the UN system is NOT a prerequisite for this Fellowship.
Next Steps
If you are an activist from the global South or East and feel you or your organization will benefit from taking part in Outright’s UN Rights and Religion Fellowship, please fill out the questionnaire below.
Applications are due by January 19, 2024.
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