Download Professional Development Scholarship Program

Organización de los Estados Americanos
Organização dos Estados Americanos
Organization des États Américains
Organization of American States
Department of Human Development
Professional Development Scholarship Program
”Human Security and Climate Change”
OAS/DHD/CIR. 007/2009
1) VENUE: University for Peace. Address: De la Pulpería La Estrella del Sur 7.5 km Suroeste;
El Rodeo. Colon, San José, Costa Rica. Tel: (506) 2205-9000. Fax: (506) 2249-1929. E-Mail:
[email protected]
2) COORDINATOR OF THE COURSE: Rolain Borel. E-Mail: [email protected]
COURSE
PROFESSOR:
Michael
Brklacich,
Carleton
University.
[email protected]
3) DATES
:
E-Mail:
From April 14th, to April 24th, 2009
4) COURSE DURATION:
Ten (10) Days
5) LANGUAGES:
English
6) MODALITY:
On site
7) OBJECTIVES:
 The overall purpose of this course is to provide a social science perspective on climatic
change and address the following key questions.
 • Why are some people and regions more vulnerable to climatic change?
 • How do these vulnerabilities threaten human security?
 • What can be done to reduce these vulnerabilities and thereby enhance prospects for
long-term human security?
 In addition to these objectives relating specifically to human security and climatic
change, the course is also provides the opportunity to hone writing and oral presentation
skills and to explore a range of methods for engaging groups to discuss complex issues.
8) PROGRAM:
The course will examine the extent to which climatic change might trigger human insecurity via
losses in ecosystem services, sea-level rise and salt water intrusions in human-occupied
coastal territories and low-lying islands, changes in extreme weather and the occurrence of
(un)natural hazards, the spread of infectious diseases, changes in water and food security and
urban perspectives on climatic change and human security. The last component of the course
will focus on a series of meta-questions related to climatic change and human security including
the role of international science as practiced by IPCC and the Global Environmental Change
Organización de los Estados Americanos
Organização dos Estados Americanos
Organization des États Américains
Organization of American States
Department of Human Development
Programs in setting the Summary statements for the course seminars and recommended
readings.
Session 1: Anthropocene Now: Humans as Agents of Global Environmental Change. Human
activities have become major forces which alter fundamental earth system processes. This
seminar reviews climatic change science in non-technical terms and focuses on our current
understanding of how human activities alter climatic processes as well as the implications of
incomplete climate science for public policies which address issues relating to environmental
and human security.
Session 2: Integrating Social Science & Climatic Change Science. Climatic change research
has to a large extent been conducted by biophysical scientists with the assumption that social
science will make use of this information. This seminar addresses selected issues (e.g.
appropriate spatial & temporal scales, science & policy, social vs biophysical science
frameworks, uncertainty) which must be addressed before the social sciences and climate
sciences can be fully integrated.
Session 3: Evolution of Human & Environmental Security Concepts. This seminar expands
upon rethinking of security issues which has occurred since the end of the cold-war. It includes
a review of competing views on security and then explores how current debates regarding
human and environmental security can be applied in a climatic change context.
Session 4: Climatic Change, Equity and Human Security. Causes of human-induced climatic
change, the distribution of climatic change impacts and the capacity to communities to respond
are not uniform. All 3 of these factors (the cause, impact distribution and response capacity) are
tied closely to human security and equity concerns across these 3 areas will continue to frame
future climatic change discussions. This seminar explores climatic change from a “winners and
losers” perspective and then attempts to find a more equitable approach for addressing climatic
change.
Session 5: Climatic Change and Human Health. The potential direct (i.e. increases in heat
stress) & indirect (i.e. via changes in vector born diseases) effects of climatic change effects of
human health is often raised as major threat to human security. This seminar builds upon these
studies which employ “deterministic” disease models and sets climatic change in a broader
human security context.
Session 6: Climate Change and Africa. This seminar explores African perspectives on climate
change. Africa is both vast and diverse, and generalizations are often unwarranted.
Nevertheless, Africa has been a relatively minor contributor to anthropogenic climate change
but much of the continent is quite vulnerable to climate change, which in turn raises a series of
questions about equity and development.
Session 7: Urban Perspectives on Climatic Change. Many of drivers of anthropogenic climatic
change are associated with activities in urban centers and environmental stress is increasingly
becoming a major concern in urban centers around the globe. Despite these concerns,
relationships amongst urban centers, climatic change and human well-being remain
understudied. This seminar provides insight into our current understanding of this topic and also
investigates research that will need to be undertaken in order to advance our understanding
human security and climatic change in urban settings.
Organización de los Estados Americanos
Organização dos Estados Americanos
Organization des États Américains
Organization of American States
Department of Human Development
Session 8: Implications of Climatic Change for Food Security. Food security remains a concern
even though increases in global agricultural production have surpassed population increases
over the past several decade and it appears that climate change may well heighten future food
security. This seminar reviews the root causes of current food security issues and then
assesses the extent to which climatic change in combination with other population and
demographic changes and resource trends might alter food security in the future.
Session 9: The Kyoto Protocol and Human Security. The Kyoto Protocol was struck in 1997
and implemented in 2005. The Protocol’s goal is avoid dangerous levels of climatic change by
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This seminar reviews the development of Protocol,
expected outcomes from the Protocol, mechanisms for its implementation, its capacity to
enhance human security by reducing human vulnerability and the reasons behind national
decisions to or not participate in the Protocol.
Session 10: Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Climate change policy and
broader initiatives to promote sustainable development have to a large extent not been coupled
but there are clear linkages between the two, especially as it relates to improving human wellbeing. This seminar explores opportunities and challenges associated with integrating climate
change and sustainable development agendas.
9) REQUIREMENTS:
 All applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of an OAS Member state, except Costa
Rica that is the seminar host country (residents must send copy of visa).
 Have good command of English, with documentary evidence if neither is not the native
language.
 Profile: Bachelor Degree on Environmental Sciences and Social Sciences with 2 years of
experience in the field of study.
 Certified copy of relevant academic degree(s)/courses.
 Be physically fit to fulfill the obligations of the course; and able to attend the entire
course.
 Submit a duly completed request before the deadline established by the National Liaison
Organization (ONE). The candidate is responsible for finding out the deadline set by
the ONE in his/her country of residence.
10) OAS Scholarship Selection Criteria: In accordance with article 4.2 of the Manual of
Procedures of the Scholarship and Training Programs of the OAS, OAS scholarships shall be
granted based on the following criteria:
 the objectives and priorities established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for
Development;
 the training priorities of the member states;
 the merits and overall credentials of the candidate, including his/her academic and
professional background;
 the financial need of the candidate; and
The deadline for presentation of applications to the (ONE) differs from country to country and should therefore be
confirmed with the relevant ONE in the applicant's country of origin or permanent residence.
Organización de los Estados Americanos
Organização dos Estados Americanos
Organization des États Américains
Organization of American States
Department of Human Development

An extensive and equitable geographic distribution for the benefit of all member states and
that takes into account the greater needs of the smaller and relatively less developed
economies.
11) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CANDIDATES:
 Each student should plan to be responsible for approximately US$115.00 to
US$200.00 per week to cover for a room in a selected family house, including
breakfast and dinner
 Each student should plan to be responsible for US$50.00 to US$60.00 per week to
cover for lunch during the week and for food expenses during weekends.
 Must have health and accident insurance coverage abroad.
 The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance to the OAS General Secretariat
Office in their respective countries and through the ONE in order for the OAS to proceed
with making the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets,
economy class, round-trip, between their country of origin or residence and the study
location or, if the scholarship is refused, to appoint another candidate.
 The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance of the scholarship by
signing and returning to DHD their completed “form of acceptance of the
scholarship award”; only after this has been done will the OAS proceed with the
necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class,
round-trip, between the scholarship recipient’s country of origin and the study
location.
 Upon selection, candidates must accept the scholarship by confirming their availability to
follow the course during the period indicated and their acceptance of the duly provided
conditions of study.
 Selected scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) to
enter the country of study and the corresponding transit(s). The OAS will not be
responsible for any costs related to obtaining visas or transfer documentation.
 Each scholarship recipient is responsible for arriving in time for the commencement of
activities on the date established by the institution offering the course or program.
 If the scholarship recipient fails to travel on the scheduled dates, or change routes, after the
General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) has purchased
his/her travel ticket, he/she will be responsible for paying the difference in ticket costs in
order to arrive at the course site in time. The scholarship recipient will furthermore have to
reimburse the GS/OAS the total cost of the airfare for his/her travel from his/her country of
residence to the site where the Professional Development Course will take place and back
if, after the ticket has been purchased, he/she declines the scholarship without written
authorization from the Department of Human Development.
 The latter includes any additional costs, if any, incurred by the GS/OAS, such as extra costs
for accommodation during the scholarship recipient’s travel to and from the country where
the course will be held.
Organización de los Estados Americanos
Organização dos Estados Americanos
Organization des États Américains
Organization of American States
Department of Human Development
12) BENEFITS:
The OAS Department of Human Development will cover economy roundtrip ticket between the
country of origin and the host country2
The University of Peace will provide:
 Instructors and technical and operational support staff for the course; and will also help with
facilities, materials and promotional and organizational aspects of the course.
 Will help the selected candidates to find room and board in selected family houses in
Ciudad Colon (close To University of Peace)
 Ground transportation expenses
 Other expenses concerning training registration and tuition
 Medical treatment in case of minor illness.
13) PRESENTATION OF CANDIDACIES:
Please Notice: If you were awarded an OAS Professional Development Scholarship in the
past twelve (12) months or if you currently hold an OAS Scholarship for Academic Studies,
you are not eligible to apply for another Professional Development Scholarship.
The online application form must be completed on-line and can be accessed at:
http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/onsite.aspx?culture=en&navid=282
here you’ll
find the announcements of all the onsite courses, click in the one you are interested in, go
though the end of the page, and then you’ll find the Continue button which will direct you to
the online application form.
Once the applicant has completed the online application form and submitted it, a copy will be
sent automatically to his/her e-mail account. This completed form must be printed, signed and
submitted
to
the
National
Liaison
Office
(ONE)
with
all
other
forms
(http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/formspd.aspx?culture=en&navid=282) that must
be completed electronically or in typewritten format.
The following is the list of National Liaison Organizations (ONEs) in the OAS Member states:
http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/ones.aspx?culture=en&navid=282
Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to:
[email protected]
2 Funds for terminal and in-transit expenses are NOT provided
IMPORTANT NOTICE: THESE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE SUBJECT TO THE
AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS CORRESPONDING TO THE 2009 REGULAR BUDGET
c.c.:
Course coordinator, course file
LZea-Yonker/Human Security and Climate Change/Costa Rica/2009