FALL 2013 INTERNSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT Congressional-Executive Commission on China Deadline: July 1, 2013

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (www.cecc.gov) is offering paid internships to qualified undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates this coming fall in Washington, D.C. Interns must be U.S. citizens. The application deadline is July 1, 2013 for the Fall 2013 internship that runs from September to December 2013. Fall internships are part-time; interns are expected to work from 15 to 20 hours per week. See application instructions below.

CECC internships provide significant educational and professional experience for undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates with a background in Chinese politics, law, and society, and strong Chinese language skills.

Interns work closely with the Commission and its staff on the full array of issues concerning human rights, the rule of law, and governance in China (including criminal justice, democratic governance institutions, environmental problems, religious freedom, freedom of expression, ethnic minority rights, women's rights, etc.).

Interns perform important research support tasks (often in Chinese), attend seminars, meet Members of Congress and experts from the United States and abroad, and draft Commission analyses. Click here for CECC analysis of recent developments in the rule of law and human rights in China. Interns may also be trained to work with the Commission's Political Prisoner Database, which has been accessible by the public since its launch in November 2004 (click here to begin a search).

The CECC staff is committed to interns’ professional development, and holds regular roundtables for interns on important China-related issues.

Fall 2013 interns will be paid $10/hour. Those unable to apply for Fall 2013 internships may apply for the Spring (February-May) or Summer (June-August). Further details are available on the Commission's Web site at http://www.cecc.gov/pages/general/employ.php.

Qualifications:

• Interns must be U.S. citizens.
• Interns should have completed at least some China-related coursework. It is also desirable that they have some background in one or more of the specific human rights and rule of law issues in the CECC legislative mandate.
• Interns should be able to read Chinese well enough to assist with research in newspapers, journals, and on Web sites. More advanced Chinese language capability would be a plus. The successful candidate for an internship often will have lived or studied in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan.
• Although our interns are generally undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates, others are also welcome to apply.

Application Instructions for Fall 2013:

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for two references, to the CECC via e-mail to Judy Wright, Director of Administration at judy.wright@mail.house.gov by July 1, 2013. Applications must be received by our office no later than 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on July 1. Please discuss in your cover letter how your professional goals, interests, and background relate to the Commission's legislative mandate regarding human rights and the rule of law in China. No phone calls please.

Negotiating LGBT Rights and Development in Indonesia

Sawatdee krap/Selamat pagi!

Well, it has been a couple weeks since I arrived in Thailand, so perhaps this is a good time to introduce myself and my research this summer (generously supported by a Sigur Center Grant for Asian Field Research).

My name is Jamison Liang and I am currently in the middle of my MA in Anthropology & International Development at George Washington. My research focuses on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights movement in Indonesia—particularly in Aceh province—where I look at the intersection of international, national, and Islamic law and how they have been applied to issues of gender and sexuality. Aceh is coming to an important crossroads this year; the provincial legislature is debating how to formulate its Islamic criminal bylaw (qanun jinayat), which could potentially criminalize homosexuality. One of the central questions I am investigating this summer concerns the influence of international development and human rights organizations, ultimately asking how effective (or ineffective) a purely rights-based argument is in producing societal change on the ground.

As advocacy for human rights of LGBT communities has gained traction among international organizations, especially the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Indonesian NGOs have followed suit, adopting human rights-based rhetoric. Yet how do international actors and local NGOs implement these abstract strategies, especially in areas where they appear to contravene societal morals, religious beliefs, or local laws? What happens when government officials and local leaders explicitly reject queer communities? My research aims to answer this question by focusing on the intersection of LGBT rights advocacy and international development initiatives in Indonesia, noting how global LGBT rights policies are “translated” into culturally appropriate and effective messages by local activists.

So, why am I in Bangkok? As it turns out, I am doing this research while helping the United Nations Development Program Asia Pacific Regional Center (UNDP APRC) with their project “Being LGBT in Asia: A Participatory Review and Analysis of the Legal and Social Environment for LGBT Civil Society in Asia.” I am largely in charge of helping write Indonesia’s national report, though I am also assisting with the social media side of the project, posting about LGBT-related news across the region in bahasa Indonesia and English.

At the same time I am identifying people from various international development and human rights organizations to interview in Bangkok—the hub of the development field in Southeast Asia. Accordingly, these individuals should be able to talk about how rights-based advocacy is practiced at a regional and international level by tracing the flow of recommendations from civil society to policy dialogues at the UN. To be sure, I remain critical of how development agencies have historically interacted with “sexual/gender minorities” solely through the lens of HIV—a discourse which I argue has “medicalized” their identities by linking them to the HIV epidemic. While this issue has rightfully opened up space in development to talk about sexuality and gender more critically, it has also made it harder to see other social problems as legitimate.

Once my research wraps up in Bangkok at the end of July, I will head to Indonesia (Jakarta and Banda Aceh) for a spree of interviews with CSOs and international NGOs. To be sure, there will be much to learn in the coming months! In the meantime, if you’re interested in the Being LGBT in Asia project, check out:

- Crowdmap: http://beinglgbtinasia.crowdmap.com

- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lgbtinasia

- Instagram and Twitter: @beinglgbtinasia

- QQ-tencent: t.qq.com/beinglgbtinasia 

- Weibo: www.weibo.com/beinglgbtinasia

- Douban: www.douban.com/people/beinglgbtinasia

Jamison Liang
MA Candidate in Anthropology & International Development

Sigur Center 2013 Summer Grant for Asian Field Research

Site: Thailand and Indonesia

Running Start Young Women's Political Summit

July 12 – 14

Join 300 young women, ages 14 – 35, from around the country at Running Start’s Young Women’s Political Summit July 12th – 14th in Washington, DC. The Summit is for young women who want to run for public office, hone their leadership skills, and strengthen their connections in the political world. This is a bipartisan event open to girls and young women of all ideological backgrounds.

Details:

• Date and Location: July 12-14 at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.
• Registration is $150 ($100 for Running Start Members) and covers program materials and most meals.
• On-campus accommodations for out-of-town participants are available at the Georgetown University Hotel. Click here for more information and to make reservations.
• Need-based financial aid and scholarship opportunities are available. Click here for more information and to apply.
• Although the program is open to all young women, chaperones will not be provided for minors.

ADB Washington, D.C. Internship Opportunity!

The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) North American Representative Office (NARO) is seeking applicants to participate in a development communications internship at ADB's office in Washington, D.C. beginning September 2013.

With the help of ADB NARO staff, the prospective ADB intern will examine development communications best practices industry wide, including other IFIs, international organizations, private sector, government agencies, NGOs and civil society in an effort to create recommendations for ADB NARO to pursue in engaging stakeholders.

Deadline for Application: Friday, June 7, 2013 at 5:00 PM Manila Time (June 7, 5:00 AM Washington, D.C. Time)
Position Title: Intern NARO - 1319
Location: Washington D.C., US
Department: Strategy and Policy Department
Division: North American Representative Office
Internship Topic: Development Communications

For more information and to apply, please visit: ADB Recruitment Center 

Job Opportunity! Program Assistant, Global Gender Program, Elliott School of International Affairs

The Global Gender Program requires an assistant to help manage and implement all aspects of the Global Gender Program’s exciting and evolving activities. Duties include organizing conferences, panel discussions, and events; writing for and maintaining GGP’s blog, Twitter, and Facebook accounts; overseeing long-term projects; scheduling; administrative support; and other duties as assigned.

Go to job announcement 

Total Hours Per Week: 20
Recruitment Salary Range: $15.66 - $15.81
Partial Tuition Remission

Minimum Qualifications:
High school diploma plus 1 to 3 years of relevant experience. Requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working in an office or academic setting. Excellent organizational skills and ability to multitask, prioritize, and meet deadlines with little supervision.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills with a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrated interest in global women’s and gender issues.
• Basic knowledge and understanding of social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Word Press).
• Proficient using the latest versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and mail merges; email and web searches.
• Willingness to occasionally work irregular hours (some evenings or a weekend).

Job Duties:

• Plan, organize, coordinate, promote, manage, and publicize events and meetings.
• Maintain and update social media.
• Keep track of finances including reimbursement requests, invoicing, and honoraria.
• Assist in coordinating, writing, and editing publications including annual reports, brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and other materials.
• Collaborate with technology staff to update content information on website.
• Other duties as assigned.

Learn More...

New Job Opening at University of Maryland, College Park: Associate Director, Maryland China Initiative

The University of Maryland is seeking an Associate Director for its Maryland China Initiative program located on its campus in College Park, Maryland. 

The Associate Director will serve as the Maryland China Initiative (MCI) deputy in all managerial, programming, logistical, and protocol matters related to MCI’s executive training programs. Reporting to the Director, he or she will have primary responsibility for working with China client organizations on all business development, contract, financial, scheduling, visa, programming, and logistical matters prior to their program start dates (after which the Programming Coordinator will lead on scheduling matters). The 12-hour separation of time zones requires that the Associate Director frequently communicate with Chinese clients, in Chinese, via e-mail or telephone, after regular EST working hours. The Associate Director travels to China three to four times each year to build and maintain client relations and to attend annual meetings of the Chinese Foreign Experts Administration, which is the gatekeeper agency for all Chinese training conducted abroad. The Associate Director advises the Director on strategic, business, and managerial issues on a daily basis. He or she serves as daily office manager of MCI and has direct supervisory responsibility for the MCI administrative assistant.

The deadline for the application is May 31, 2013. For additional information and to apply for this position, please go to: https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/18369.

Employer:                Maryland China Initiative, University of Maryland, College Park

Functional Title:            Associate Director

Position Number:          119068

Category Status:           33-Exempt Regular

Applicant Search Category:      Staff

University Authorized FTE:       1.0

Unit:     SVPAAP-OIA-Maryland China Initiative

ADB Washington, D.C. Internship Opportunity

The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) North American Representative Office (NARO) is seeking applicants to participate in a development communications internship at ADB's office in Washington, D.C. beginning September 2013.

With the help of ADB NARO staff, the prospective ADB intern will examine development communications best practices industry wide, including other IFIs, international organizations, private sector, government agencies, NGOs and civil society in an effort to create recommendations for ADB NARO to pursue in engaging stakeholders.

Deadline for Application: June 7, 2013 at 5:00 PM Manila Time (June 7, 5:00 AM Washington, DC Time)

Position Title: Intern NARO - 1319

Location: Washington DC, US

Department: Strategy and Policy Department

Division: North American Representative Office

Internship Topic: Development Communications

For more information and to apply, please visit: ADB Recruitment Center