Announcement For All Civil Society activists and Representatives, Interested in Participating to Brussels Conference on Afghanistan

(Brussels, Belgium 4-5 October 2016)

On October 4^th -5^th , the European Union and the government of Afghanistan will co-host the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan .This is an open competition for all Afghan Civil Society activists and advocates throughout the country interested in representing Afghan Civil Society in the conference.

Since May 2016, the Civil Society Working Committee (SCWC), composed by a group of NGOs, networks and Civil Society umbrella organizations, is working in close collaboration with the British and Irish Group for Afghanistan (BAAG) to:

Enable an Afghan delegation of 10 Civil Society representatives to the BCA
Develop the Afghan Civil Society’s position paper at the BCA
Enhance Afghan civil society’s advocacy efforts and interactions with the Nation Unity Government and the international community after the BCA.

How to apply

Interested applicants should comply with the set of criteria detailed below and send their application (CV+ cover letter) to the SCWC secretariat by 00:00 hrs, 17 August 2016

Applications should be sent by email to the secretariat to the following email addresses:

civilsociety.bca@gmail.com and civilsociety@yahooweb.com

Selection process

Ten representatives will be selected. To ensure transparency, the selection jury will be assigned by the Civil Society Working Committee and composed of representatives from the Civil Society. The Jury will be observed by two additional independent bodies: United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).

Requirements

Through its broad consultation with national NGOs and civil society groups, a set of criteria was developed by SCWC. All civil society applicants are kindly advised to strictly follow the below criteria before sending their applications:

Afghan with valid travel document: All CS representatives, who have valid passport (minimum 6 months validity), can apply. Possessing of valid travel documents is the sole responsibility of the applicant.
Reliable Educational background and working experience: Those who are applying should enjoy a good education background and reliable working experience with civil society institutions.
Effective Communication skills in English: It is required from all applicants to be fluent in English with effective communication skills, as there are many forums for direct interactions with politicians, MPs, INGOs and other interested stakeholders during the conference and the side events for the 10-member delegates to convey and share the core messages of Afghan people to them.
Thematic Diversity: The delegation should be able to represent the key thematic areas including, but not limited, to human rights, women’s rights people with disability, elections, good governance, anti-corruption, economic development, peace, protection of children and IDPs. Gender and people with disability are considered as a priority for the selection, but not as separate criteria.
Convincing CV with cover letter and Certificate: All applicants are required to submit an update CV of him/herself with a cover letter highlighting the reasons that he/she sees him/herself qualified and why is intended to attend the BCA. A valid certificate of the employer is also needed to be attached with the CV and the CL.
NGO and Civil Society involvement: At least a minimum of 3 years of working experience with NGO community and civil society is required.
Advocacy initiatives engagement: All applicants should enjoy experience of involvement in various thematic advocacy initiatives as highlighted in item number 4.
Experience with National and International Media: BCA is a rare opportunity for Afghanistan’s future and long-term commitment of international community. It is anticipated that the Afghan delegates should have the experience of dealing and interactions with different media outlets to convey the Afghan people’s message in its best and most effective manner.
Non–partisan and no political affiliation: All applicants are required to be non-partisan and with no political affiliation and membership of any political parties.
No Government and profit–based organization (private sector): Applicants are required not to be a government or profit-based companies representative/employees.
Recent travel abroad and visits to various provinces are advantages: Travel abroad and visits to various provinces inside the country (research, survey, or advocacy events) recently could be considered as advantages, but not sole indicators for selection.