Fully Funded PhD Scholarship on National Human Rights Systems in Developing Countries

The Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen and the Danish Institute for Human Rights are looking for a PhD candidate to examine the mandate, the roles and the practices of state actors in relation to international human rights standards and systems in developing countries, ideally DIHR partner countries and/or DANIDA priority countries. The PhD project shall document (selected aspects of) the mandate and the roles played by state actors, and analyse the challenges and opportunities they face, the interaction between different state actors, as well as the relationship to supranational human rights mechanisms.

A national human rights system (NHRS) is a system where human rights can be effectively promoted and protected by state institutions, civil society and the business sector. The notion of system underlines that human rights promotion and protection entails continuous interaction between a complex whole of actors and processes. The notion of a national system underlines that human rights are implemented nationally and locally through a state’s ability to meet its human rights duties and rights-holders’ ability to claim their rights. The establishment and maintenance of the core institutions of the system – laws, courts, parliaments, law enforcement, etc. – are the responsibility of the state.

The core structure of an NHRS can be defined as comprising:

• human rights compliant state policy and legal frameworks
• state structures and institutions with human rights mandates and duties
• state mechanisms for the promotion and the protection of human rights

The PhD project should focus on one or several of the actors below:

• the national human rights institutions (human rights commission or institute, ombudsman, etc.);
• the relevant governmental agencies (ministries, governmental human rights focal points, etc.);
• the courts and tribunals, including the prosecution service;
• the Parliament (and especially its human rights committee, if any);
• and law enforcement and security actors (penitentiary, police, military).

In relation to the above, the PhD project should look into one or several of the following state mechanisms and processes:

• the development, adoption and implementation of legislation
• the development, adoption and implementation of policies and action plans and pecific policies on, for instance, human rights education, gender equality, etc.
• the monitoring of human rights implementation
• the reporting to international and regional human rights bodies

Applicants are encouraged to 1) clearly specify in their application what part (or parts) of the overall topic they wish to focus on, 2) focus on interaction between state actors’ mandates and different roles in relation to human rights protection, and 3) to ensure a close link to one or more developing countries, ideally DIHR partner countries and/or DANIDA priority countries.

The PhD Programme
The goal of the PhD Programme is threefold: to prepare candidates for a continuing career in teaching and research; to educate a new generation of scholars to produce high-quality independent research; and to equip them with the analytical and problem-solving skills required for a successful career in both the public and private sectors.

Qualifications

• Applicants must have obtained a degree that corresponds to the Danish Master of Laws or equivalent qualifications (seehttp://studyindenmark.dk/study-options/admission-requirements). Applicants must have obtained a minimum overall grade average of 8,2 or above at the Master’s level in accordance with the Danish grading scale (for Danish scale, see http://studyindenmark.dk/study-options/the-danish-way-of-teaching-1/the-danish-grading-system ).
• Applicants may submit their application before they have completed their Master’s Degree, however, they should have submitted the final evaluation for their course before 1 June 2015.
• Applicants must document an aptitude for research through the meritorious assessment of their final thesis, publications or academic recommendations in order to show that they are capable of undertaking the demanding task of writing a PhD thesis.
• Applicants whose native language is not English must document proficiency in English by having passed one of the recognised language tests. For IELTS a minimum score of 6.5 is required. For TOEFL a minimum score of 90 (internet-based) or 231 (computer-based) is required. Applicants who have obtained a university degree in a country in which English is the official language (Australia, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada), and applicants holding a Master’s Degree from one of the Nordic universities are not required to submit proof of English proficiency.

Successful PhD candidates are required to

• actively engage in the research environment at the University of Copenhagen and the Danish Institute for Human Rights; participate in international conferences, courses and meetings relevant to their research project;
• comply with the formal requirements of the PhD Programme;
• contribute to teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses offered by the Faculty of Law and knowledge dissemination at the the Danish Institute for Human Rights;
• conduct independent and high quality research under the supervision of a senior member of academic staff at the Faculty.

Interested?
The Faculty of Law offers supervision by highly qualified academics and provides an excellent opportunity to research contemporary legal issues in an intellectually stimulating environment.
If you are offered a PhD position, you will receive a regular monthly salary in accordance with Danish law and you will be entitled to an annual research budget. The Faculty does not provide accommodation.

The closing date for applications is 1 JUNE 2015.

Read more and apply here.