OPEN INVITATION - Summit of the Americas Essay Contest - Fifth Summit of the Americas

The Summits of the Americas Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) in coordination with the National Secretariat for the Fifth Summit of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago extends its greetings and is pleased to announce the launch of the “Summit of the Americas Essay Contest”, within the framework of the Fifth Summit of the Americas that will be held in Trinidad and Tobago on April 17-19, 2009.

The Essay Contest, directed to undergraduate or graduate students of the OAS Member States, will encourage post-secondary students of the hemisphere to focus on the themes addressed in the Draft Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain presented by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: Securing our Citizen's Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability, to be adopted at the Fifth Summit of the Americas.

The objective of this initiative is to raise awareness of the Summits of the Americas Process among youth, stimulating analytical ideas from college and university students regarding the key issues of the region, as well as encouraging the participation of different actors in the process in the formulation of ideas and recommendations about the central topics of the Fifth Summit. Essays will analyze the principal areas engaged in this theme: a) human prosperity; b) environmental sustainability; c) energy security; d) strengthening democratic governance and e) strengthening the Summits Process. These topics include some of the key priorities of the region, around which the leaders of the hemisphere will center their attention in efforts to make commitments that will improve the wellbeing of the citizens of the Americas. The Contest will motivate the youth of the Americas to analyze the region’s challenges and formulate innovative solutions.

Essays will be accepted in the four OAS official languages (English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese). A qualified jury comprised by academics, high level specialists and experts of the member institutions of the Joint Summit Working Group, will evaluate the essays and determine the winners. The authors of up to the 7 best essays (ensuring geographical equity) will be awarded a plane ticket in economy class from their city of origin to the Fifth Summit of the Americas. The winners will participate as observers in the Summit and have their prize-winning essays published on the Summits of the Americas Secretariat website (www.summit-americas.org) and distributed to OAS Member States during the Summit.

To assess your eligibility and participate in the Essay Contest, please review carefully the “Terms and conditions”. The deadline for submission of essays is December 15, 2008. For additional information, please visit the Summits of the Americas Information Network at www.summit-americas.org.

Sincerely,

Summits of the Americas Secretariat

Organization of American States

Graduate Student Fellowships:
Canada's Role in the Circumpolar World

The Northern Governance Thematic Network of the University of the Arctic, with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, is pleased to announce nine available fellowships for Graduate Students, valued at $5,000 each. The purpose of these fellowships is to support the creation of research papers on Canada's international arctic role.  Research papers will focus on one of the following three areas:

1. Canada in the circumpolar world: future political trends, challenges, opportunities where Canada should be taking a leadership role;
2. Canada's Northern Foreign Policy: developments and impact on international relations; from community knowledge to international initiatives; sustainable economic development of the circumpolar region and its communities;
3. The Arctic Council as a mechanism to advance Canada's foreign policy objectives: strengthening the governance and the effectiveness of the Arctic Council, strategies to advance Canadian priorities in the Arctic Council, circumpolar international policy, increasing the awareness of the Arctic Council, including vis-à-vis Northerners.
   Eligibility
   

Qualified applicants must:
*      be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
*      be actively pursuing a graduate degree (Master's, Ph.D. or equivalent) in circumpolar and/or northern research;
*      be in good academic standing, as determined by your university;
*      submit a completed application form (http://www.usask.ca/politic/Research/ICGD.php);
*      submit a 1 page paper proposal/abstract;
*      submit a letter of appraisal from a supervisor;
Deadline for application is December 7, 2008.
Final papers/essays must be submitted in English or French and cannot exceed 5,000 words including footnotes. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-December 2008.  Final papers are due February 28th, 2009.
Submit applications to:
Dr. Greg Poelzer
International Centre for Governance and Development
9 Campus Drive, Rm 280.1 Arts
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK  S7N 5A5