75 UNESCO/ People’s Republic of China (The Great Wall) Co-Sponsored Fellowship for Students from Developing Countries 2018/2019

Application Deadline: 25th March 2018

Offered annually? Yes

To be taken at (country): People’s Republic of China

About Scholarship: The Government of the People’s Republic of China has placed at the disposal of UNESCO for the academic year 2018-2019 seventy-five (75) fellowships for advanced studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. These fellowships are for the benefit of developing Member States in Africa, Asia–Pacific, Latin America, Europe and North America and Arab region.

Tenable at a selected number of Chinese universities, these fellowships are intended for scholars who plan to pursue advanced studies or undertake individual research with periodic guidance from the assigned supervisor in China for a duration of one year. Selected candidates will undertake their studies in the host universities as visiting scholars. Most of the study programmes will be conducted in English. Selected candidates will undertake their studies in the host universities as visiting scholars. In exceptional cases, candidates may be required to study Chinese language before taking up research or studying in their fields of interest.

Twenty (20) of the 75 fellowships are especially intended for candidatures from the Teacher Training Institutions supported by UNESCO-CFIT Project in the 10 African countries to pursue an Advanced Training Programme for Education Administrators and Teacher Educators at East China Normal University.

Field of Study: Any applicant can choose one academic program and three institutions as their preferences from the Chinese HEIs designated by MOE. Fellowships are for advanced studies at Undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Type: Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Fellowship.

Eligibility: 

• Applicants applying for General Scholar programs must not be older than the age of forty-five (45) and have completed at least two years of undergraduate study; and those who applying for Senior Scholar programmes must be a master’s degree holder or an associate professor (or above) and not older than the age of fifty (50).
• English proficiency is required.
• Be in good health, both mentally and physically.

Number of Awards: 75


Value of Scholarship: The Program provides a full scholarship which covers tuition waiver, accommodation, stipend, and comprehensive medical insurance.

Duration of Scholarship: 1 year

Eligible Countries:

AFRICA – 46 Member States: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC – 38 Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Niue, Palau, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Viet Nam

ARAB STATES – 13 Member States: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Yemen

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBEAN – 26 Member States: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Venezuela

EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA – 12 Member States: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine

How to Apply: All applications should be endorsed by the relevant Government body (the National Commission or Permanent Delegation) and must be made in English with the following attachments listed in the Program Webpage (see Link below).
In order to be successful, You are advised to follow the steps (listed in the link below) involved in applying.

Visit Program Webpage for details

Sponsors: China Scholarship Council (CSC) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Important Notes: 

• As National Commission for UNESCO of the invited countries will select and transmit the applications of nominated candidates to UNESCO Paris Headquarter by 26 March 2018 at the latest, applicants are advised to submit their application to the National Commissions as early as possible.
• Hard copies of application documents are not required any more from this year and it is mandatory for each nominated candidate to submit his/her application in the online application system. Candidates should mention their serial number of online application when their applications are submitted to UNESCO. Any application without online registration will not be considered.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme for Study in UK Universities 2018/2019

Application Deadline: 17th April 2018

The EAS will open for applications on 23rd February 2018.

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.

To be taken at (country): Various UK Universities. Download CSS prospectus 2018 in Program Webpage Link below for full list of participating universities and respective deadlines.

Accepted Subject Areas: Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme is for taught Master’s courses only. All courses undertaken must be demonstrably relevant to the economic, social or technological development of the candidate’s home country. See full list of courses from the 2018 CSS prospectus

Offered Since: 1986


Eligibility: To apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme, candidates must:

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person
• Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2018
• By October 2018, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
• Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high income country
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates.

Selection: Each participating UK university will conduct its own recruitment process to select a specified number of candidates to be awarded Commonwealth Shared Scholarships. Universities must put forward their selected candidates to the CSC by 17 May 2018. The CSC will then confirm that these candidates meet the eligibility criteria for this scheme. Universities will inform candidates of their results by July 2018.
Selection criteria include:

• Academic merit of the candidate
• Potential impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country

Number of Scholarships: Up to 227 scholarship positions

Scholarship value: The CSC funds the cost of tuition fees (at overseas rate), return airfares, and other allowances. Participating universities are required to support the student stipend for the award holder (at the rate set by the UK government).

Duration of scholarship: Awards are normally tenable for one-year taught postgraduate courses only.

How to Apply

1. All applications must be made through your chosen university. You must check with your chosen university for their specific advice, admission requirements, and rules for applying. Some universities may require you to complete their own admissions application form as well, which may have a separate closing date. You must take the necessary steps to secure admission to your course at the same time as applying for a Shared Scholarship.
2. You must make your application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS), in addition to any other application that you are required to complete by your chosen university.
3. You can apply for more than one course and/or to more than one university, but you may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship.
4. All applications must be submitted by 23.59 (BST) on 17 April 2018 at the latest. Each university has its own closing date for applications, and most are before this date. Any applications submitted after a university closing date will not be considered; please ensure you apply via the EAS before your university closing date.
5. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the EAS to your UK university, or any applications directly from individuals; such applications will not be acknowledged.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for Details

Sponsors: UK Department for International Development (DFID), as part of the UK international development programme to developing countries, and participating institutions in the UK. The scheme is administered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC).

About Scholarship: The Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, set up by the Department for International Development (DFID) in 1986, represent a unique partnership between the United Kingdom government and UK universities. To date, more than 3,500 students from developing Commonwealth countries have been awarded Shared Scholarships. Without these awards they would not otherwise have been able to benefit from UK higher education.
UK universities have offered to support the scholarships by contributing the stipend for the students from their own resources, or those which the university has been able to generate from elsewhere. See list of participating universities from the CSS prospective 2016 below.

International Summer School on the Regulation of Local Public Services 2018 (Scholarships for Participants from Developing Countries) – Torino, Italy

Application Deadline: 4th June 2018, h. 18:00 CET.
Admitted attendants will be contacted directly by email by the 16th June 2018.

To Be Taken At (Country): Torino, Italy

About the Award: The School is designed to offer two weeks “full immersion”  in user charges regulation of local public services (e.g. waste, water, public transport, district heating, sport facilities) and is mainly addressed to undergraduate students at their last year, graduate students and officials from the Public Administration (municipalities, counties, regional bodies) and regulatory agencies.
The programme is designed as an intensive workshop, combining theoretical and practical modules.
The course lasts two weeks and is articulated in three parts:
– theoretical module
– industry analysis
– case studies (with a virtual regulatory final report prepared by attendants)

Type: Short courses, Undergraduate

Selection Criteria: Curricula are evaluated on the basis of three main criteria:

1. relevance of applicant’s studies and professional experience / current job position to the topics of the Summer School programme
2. balanced geographical distribution of selected participants (OECD / non-OECD members; distribution per continent; inclusion of applicants from Countries non represented in the previous editions)
3. balanced distribution of educational background (e.g. economics; environmental engineering; law; public administration; …)

Moreover, in the case of curricula with similar score, also some attention is given to the selection of profiles with expertise in different sectors relevant to the domain of regulation of LPS (e.g. water cycle, waste, energy, …).

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award:

• Registration and free accommodation are free for applicants from participating developing countries and new EU countries (Considering that the participation is free, a deposit is due (150 Euro with payment receipt returned by the date indicated on the admission letter); the deposit will be totally refunded to the attendant at the end of the Summer School (there is no deposit refund in case of cancellation)
• Travel expenses are not reimbursable in any case; furthermore the accommodation does not include breakfast and does not include any meal;

Duration of Program: 3rd-14th Sept 2018

How to Apply: Apply here

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: Turin School.

United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) Internships for Undergraduate and Graduate International Students 2018 – Belgium

Application Deadlines: 

• 1st May 2018
• 1st November 2018

Offered Annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: International

To Be Taken At (Country): Belgium

Type: Internship, Undergraduate, Graduate (Masters, PhD)

Eligibility:  Traineeships and Internships are respectively intended for undergraduate and graduate students.
Undergraduate: Applicants must:

• Be enrolled in a Bachelor programme or holder of a Bachelor degree;
• Demonstrate a strong interest in the UN and regional integration studies and specifically in the aspects related to the Monitoring and Supervision of Regional Integration processes;
• Be eager to contribute to the research projects and activities of the Institute;
• Thrive under pressure and be able to act quickly and efficiently;
• Possess excellent English communicating and writing skills;
• Be proficient with the Microsoft Office Suite;
• Be available for a minimum duration of three months up to a maximum of six months.

Graduate: Applicants must:

• Be enrolled in a Master programme or holder of a Master degree;
• Demonstrate a strong interest in the UN and regional integration studies and specifically in one of the research programmes of the Institute, namely:
  1. The Role of Regions in Global Governance
  2. The United Nations and Regional Public Goods
  3. Changing Patterns of Regional and Global Governance

• Be eager to contribute to the research projects and activities of the Institute;
• Thrive under pressure and be able to act quickly and efficiently;
• Possess excellent English communicating and writing skills;
• Be proficient with the Microsoft Office Suite;
• Be available for a minimum duration of three months up to a maximum of six months.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: 

• Office space, computer facilities and access to the libraries of UNU-CRIS, UNU, Ghent University, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the College of Europe are provided. While traineeships and internship are non-remunerated, travel costs incurred by the attendance of UNU-CRIS related events are reimbursed.
• In addition, Bruges’ favourable location close to Brussels provides direct access to the seat of the European Union and other international organisations, as well as a number of universities and research centres based in the Belgian capital.
• Although admitted candidates are required to arrange their own travel, housing and health insurance, UNU-CRIS will provide advice and support to help facilitate the search process.

Duration of Program: UNU-CRIS launches calls for applications twice a year. The deadline for the first call is 1 May, the deadline for the second call is 1 November. Candidates are expected to start in July and January respectively at the earliest, beginning of October and April respectively at the latest. The exact start and end dates of the traineeship are negotiable.

How to Apply: 

• Bachelor students and holders of a Bachelor degree shall apply to the Traineeship Programme.
• Master students and holders of a Master degree shall apply to the Internship Programme.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)

University of Bridgeport Global Leader of Tomorrow (Fully-funded) Scholarships for International Students 2018/2019 – USA

Application Deadline: 1st April, 2018

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): Connecticut, USA

Type: Undergraduate

Eligibility: Applicants must demonstrate full English language proficiency, and possess the equivalent of a 3.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) or higher on a scale of 4.

Selection Criteria: Students will be selected on the basis of their academic performance in their secondary school studies and through a nomination provided by the student’s high school counselor or the local EducationUSA advisor. Nominations from other sources will not be accepted.
Final selection will be made based on the student’s potential for growth, academic performance, community involvement, and leadership, as demonstrated through academic transcripts, test scores, the counselor’s letter of nomination, and the student-authored supplementary essay.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: The Global Leaders of Tomorrow Full Scholarship will cover:

• the full cost of tuition and fees
• cost of room and board in an on-campus residency hall for the duration of four years of undergraduate studies for first-time freshman students

Students receiving this scholarship are required to:

• pay a minimal housing fee each semester
• enroll in and pay for the University of Bridgeport’s mandatory health insurance

Duration of Scholarship: 4 years

How to Apply: Students must personally apply directly to the University of Bridgeport. Applications submitted through a third party will not be considered for the Global Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship.

Apply For This Scholarship

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: University of Bridgeport

University of Sheffield Merit Undergraduate Scholarships for Developing Regions 2018/2019

Application Timeline: 

• A link to the online scholarship application will be sent by email to all eligible offer holders from February onwards.
• You must have received an offer by 13th April 2018.
• You must choose the University of Sheffield as your firm choice by Friday 20th April 2018.
• The deadline for scholarship applications is 16:00 (UK time) on Friday 20th April 2018.
• Scholarship results will be announced by 16:00 (UK time) on Friday 25th May 2018.

Offered annually? Yes

To be taken at (country): UK

Eligible Field of Study: All

Type: Undergraduate

Eligibility: 

• To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants must be a national of or permanently domiciled in one of the following:
  • East and South Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritius
  • Middle East and North Africa: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco
  • South East Asia: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Hong Kong, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, S. Korea, Norway, Turkey

• Applicants must have applied for and been offered a study place at the University of Sheffield to be eligible to apply for the scholarship.
• Applicants must apply for a study place by Friday 13 April 2018 for entry in September 2018 to be eligible to apply for the scholarship.
• The scholarship will not be available to applicants who have made the University of Sheffield their insurance choice.
• The scholarship application is a separate online process to applying for a course. A link to the online scholarship application will be sent by email to all eligible students from January onwards.
• The scholarship will be awarded on the the basis of academic merit and the supporting statement. The final decision will be made by an academic panel.
• The scholarship is guaranteed in the first year of study and you can also receive this in each subsequent year of study, subject to achieving 60% or above in the previous academic year. This excludes any years in industry or study abroad periods. This applies to all undergraduate programmes except Medicine and Dentistry. Students of Medicine or Dentistry will only receive the scholarship for the non-clinical years (Medicine years 1 & 2 and Dentistry year 1)
• The scholarship can be awarded in conjunction with other University of Sheffield scholarships as long as the individual does not become fully funded, for tuition fee purposes, as a result of the sum of these awards.
• The scholarships will take the form of a tuition fee reduction only.
• You must be self-funding and classified as overseas for tuition fee purposes.
• The scholarship will not be awarded where partial funding is applicable from an external body and there is an agreement already in place between the external body and the University of Sheffield to offer a tuition fee discount to the student.
• The scholarships are for full-time and part-time students only. Students studying online or via distance learning are not eligible for the scholarships.
• Part-time students will receive the full value of a one year of scholarship split pro rata over the duration of an equivalent single full-time academic year.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: 50% tuition waiver

Duration of Scholarship: Duration of programme

How to Apply: A link to the online scholarship application will be sent by email to all eligible students from January onwards. First apply for admission into any of the school’s Undergraduate programs by Friday 13th April 2017

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: University of Sheffield

Adelaide Scholarships International (ASI) Australia for Masters & Doctoral Studies 2018/2019 – Australia

Application Deadlines:

• Round 1: 31st August 2017
• Round 2: 31st January 2018
• Round 3: 30th April 2018

Offered annually? Yes

Fields of Study: Courses offered at the university.

About Scholarship: The University of Adelaide offers a scholarships scheme for international students undertaking postgraduate research study for Master’s and Doctoral degrees. The purpose of the financial award programme is to attract high quality overseas postgraduate students to areas of research strength in the University of Adelaide to support its research effort.

Type: Masters & Doctoral

Selection Criteria : The selection and ranking of applicants within the University of Adelaide is undertaken by the Graduate Scholarships Committee, using the criteria of academic merit and research potential.

Eligibility

• In order to be eligible applicants are required to have successfully completed at least the equivalent of an Australian First Class Honours degree (this is a four year degree with a major research project in the final year). All qualifying programs of study must be successfully completed.
• Scholarships will be awarded on academic merit and research potential. Extra-curricular achievements are not considered.
• International applicants must not hold a research qualification regarded by the University of Adelaide to be equivalent to an Australian Research Doctorate degree or, if undertaking a Research Masters degree, not hold a research qualification regarded by the University of Adelaide to be equivalent to or higher than an Australian Research Masters degree.
• International applicants who have not provided evidence of their meeting the minimum English language proficiency requirements for direct entry by the scholarship closing date, or who have completed a Pre-Enrolment English Program to meet the entry requirements for the intended program of study, are not eligible.
• Candidates are required to enrol in the University of Adelaide as ‘international students’ and must maintain ‘international student’ status for the duration of their enrolment in the University.
• International applicants are not eligible if they have already commenced the degree for which they are seeking an award, unless they can establish that they were unable to apply in the previous round.
• Scholarships holders must commence study at the University of Adelaide in the semester the scholarship is offered.
• Applicants who applied and were eligible for consideration in an international scholarship round, and were unsuccessful, will automatically be reconsidered in the following international scholarship round, assuming they hold a valid offer of candidature for that intake. An applicant who has been considered in 2 rounds cannot be reconsidered in any future scholarship rounds.

Number of Scholarships: Not specified

Value of Scholarship:

• Course tuition fees for two years for a Masters degree by Research and three years for a Doctoral research degree (an extension is possible for doctoral programs only),
• An annual living allowance ($26,288 in 2016) for two years for a Masters degree by Research and three years for a Doctoral research degree (an extension is possible for doctoral programs only), and
• For Postgraduate Research (Subclass 574) visa holders the award provides compulsory standard Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Worldcare policy for the student and their spouse and dependents (if any) for the standard duration of the student visa.  It does not cover the additional 6 month extended student visa period post thesis submission. If the award holder does not hold a subclass 574 visa then he/she is responsible for the cost of health insurance.

Duration of Scholarship: 2 years for Masters; 3 years for Doctoral

Eligible Countries: All countries except Australia and New Zealand

To be taken at (country): University of Adelaide, Australia

How to Apply
To apply, you have to submit a formal application for Admission and a Scholarship via an online application system. There is no application fee.

Visit scholarship webpage for details

Sponsors: University of Adelaide, Australia

Important Notes: The offer of a scholarship is contingent upon a student not being offered another award by the Commonwealth of Australia, the University of Adelaide, or an overseas sponsor. The University reserves the right to withdraw an offer of a scholarship at any time prior to enrolment if it is advised that an awardee has been offered a scholarship equal to or in excess of the financial value of the award offered by the University.

Newcastle University Overseas Research Scholarship (ORS) for International PhD Students 2018/2019 – UK

Application Deadline: 27th April 2018

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): Newcastle University UK

About Scholarship: Newcastle University is committed to offering support to the very best international students hoping to pursue a programme of research. We are pleased to offer a small number of University funded NUORS awards for outstanding international students who apply to commence PhD studies in any subject in 2017/18.

Type: PhD, Research

Selection Criteria and Eligibility: A candidate could be eligible to apply for a NUORS award if:

• they have been offered a place on a PhD research programme
• they have been assessed as international/overseas for fees purposes, and are wholly or partially self-financing
• they intend to register to start your studies during the 2018/19 academic year.

Applications for a NUORS award cannot be made for a course that has already been started by a student.

Number of Scholarships: 15

Value of Scholarship: This award covers the difference between home and overseas fee rates (value approximately £10,800 to £16,200 per annum)

Duration of Scholarship: for the period of the programme

How to Apply

• You must have already applied for and been offered a place to study at Newcastle University before you apply for a NUORS award.
• Please complete the NUORS application form electronically and in accordance with the NUORS regulations, which are provided at the end of the application form.  You will also be required to provide details of an academic referee; the University will then contact your referee directly.
• Applications must be submitted electronically via the email address provided below. Unfortunately paper copies cannot be accepted.
• If you experience problems with the application form, please contact Student Financial Support who can e-mail a copy of the form and the regulations to you.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for Details

Sponsors: Newcastle University, UK

6th RUFORUM African Higher Agricultural Education Week and Biennial Conference 2018

Application Deadline: 31st July, 2018.

Offered Annually? The Program is held once every two years.

To Be Taken At (Country):  Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi Kenya.

About the Award: As part of strengthening dissemination of research outputs and lesson sharing RUFORUM invites interested authors (University researchers, researchers and scientists from National, regional and international l Research Institutes, Higher Education stakeholders and beneficiaries of RUFORUM supported projects, including postgraduates students and their supervisors) to submit Research Application Summary/“Extended Abstract” maximum of 8 page (for examples and guidelines of developing Extended Abstracts please visit RUFORUM website.
Conference objectives are focused on:

1. Unpack university transformation: From what to where and when?
2. Effective support mechanisms that enable business-university collaboration
3. University-farming communities engagement and transformation space
4. Innovations for making agriculture attractive and driving growth in Africa
5. Making a difference in Africa through capacity building in research, outreach and community engagement

Type: Call for Papers

Eligibility: The publication is bilingual and authors are free to submit abstracts in either English or French.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Duration of Program: 22 – 26 October 2018

How to Apply: 

• The Abstracts should be submitted via an online platform accessed from the African Journal of Rural Development website.
• For inquiries about your submission please use ruforumbiennial2018@afjrd.org and editor@afjrd.org
• All submissions will be peer reviewed and published as open access resource materials in a serialized RUFORUM Working document series (ISSN: 1993-8462) which will be made available to various stakeholders in both print and electronic formats.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: The meeting will be co-organized by The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), and all the RUFORUM Member Universities in Kenya and other partners.

UK Mass Digital Surveillance Regime Ruled Illegal

Julian Vigo

On 30 January, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act of 2014 (DRIPA), which made way for the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 (IPA), did not restrict the access of confidential personal phone and web browsing records to investigations of serious crime. The IPA means that Internet service providers must now store details of everything we do online for twelve months and render it accessible to dozens of public bodies. 

This data can be virtually everything, from browsing records to personal information on private citizens, to include but not limited to: search engine activity, every phone call to text message plus geographical location, private financial and credit repair services, personal correspondence, medical records, and data from banking, insurance, and investment services which is stored on computers and mobile telephones.  This law obliges technology companies to hand over the data that they have about private citizens to intelligence agencies and it can force tech companies like Apple to remove encryption, ultimately weakening the security of their own products in total secrecy.

The ability of the government to spy on private citizens’ includes the encroachment upon the fundamental rights of privacy in financial matters, such that a “super-spy search engine” has become part of the arsenal that the Home Office is accused of hosting.  What does surveillance mean in an era where financial information needs to be safeguarded and when economic interests such as crypto robots and cryptocurrencies could face government spying?

Let’s step back to 2004, when philosopher Giorgio Agamben refused to submit passport biodata in 2004 in the United States when he famously rescinded his appointment to lecture at New York University.  Resisting the submission of fingerprints required to enter

the United States as a foreign visitor, Agamben’s actions then foreshadowed what he would later address in his 2013 Athens lecture:

The primacy of the biological identity over the political identity is certainly linked to the politicization of bare life in modern states. But one should never forget that the leveling of social identity on body identity began with the attempt to identify the recidivist criminals. We should not be astonished if today the normal relationship between the state and its citizens is defined by suspicion, police filing and control. The unspoken principle which rules our society can be stated like that: every citizen is a potential terrorist. But what is a State which is ruled by such a principle? Can we still define it as democratic State?

Agamben lays out the principle contradiction of surveillance within a democracy and this question must not only be applied to the current metamorphosis of the Global War on Terror (renamed by Obama as “overseas contingency operations”) in the US, but merits investigation right here in Britain.

The IPA represents the most Draconian of legislation to hit Britain in well over a century and has infectiously taken hold of privacy laws abroad in countries from the Netherlands to the Morocco.  And the notion of privacy has been enshrined in law for several centuries since Thomas M. Cooley outlined privacy as the “right to be left alone” in 1878.  With the increase of technology in our daily lives, the ability for the human subject to retain privacy remains a challenge today. Yet the 1990 inquiry, the Calcutt Report on privacy, rendered inconclusive the very definition of privacy. So if we do not define privacy, we are allowing this sort of subversion by our governments to encroach up that which is simply not theirs.

Why should we care about our privacy? After all, we are being told that this is in the interest of safety, right? The bare minimum of human life is hinged upon our ability to evoke power over our lives: who we allow in, who we do not. In essence, this law is about protecting both privacy and the free will attached to it.  The very insistence by any government that assumes eliminating privacy is key to its operations means that we have seriously miscalculated the government’s role in our lives. And inversely, that the government assumes that it can make such a request means that something is very wrong with our democracy.

Microsoft president Brad Smith has been one of the most vocal opponents of laws such as the IPA, suggesting that citizens should be protected in cyberspace just as they are in the physical world by the Geneva Convention.   Smith wrote about a digital Geneva Convention which would “require governments to come together, affirm international cybersecurity norms that have emerged in recent years, adopt new and binding rules.” If major players in the world of digital security and artificial intelligence are aware of the dangers posed by laws of the IPA, why then are members of Parliament largely unconcerned by this?

January’s judgement from the UK court could not have come at a better time when the right to human dignity and privacy are under assault internationally.  We must demand of the British government to respect our human rights to privacy and dignity of self-determination.

War Preparations on Venezuela as Election Nears

Kevin Zeese & Margaret Flowers

Since we published “Regime Change Fails: Is a Military Coup or Invasion Next,” we received more information showing steps toward preparing for a potential military attack on Venezuela. Stopping this war needs to become a top priority for the peace movement.

Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) published a newsletter that reported “troubling news of an impending military assault on the sovereign nation of Venezuela by states and forces allied with the United States.” Ajamu Baraka, the director, said the US is concerned that President Maduro will win the April 22 election, which would mean six more years in office. BAP urges people to include “No War On Venezuela” in actions being planned from February 16-23 for the 115th anniversary of the United States occupying Guantanamo.

Is the Path to War Through Border Disputes?

One way to start a war would be a cross-border dispute between Venezuela and Colombia, Brazil or Guyana. On February 12, the Maritime Herald reported that Admiral Kurt Tidd, head of the US Southern Command, arrived in Colombia just two days after the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with President Juan Manuel Santos as part of Tillerson’s unprecedented regime change tour. Tidd met with Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas and other senior officials to coordinate efforts around “regional stability” with a focus on Venezuela.

The Maritime Herald also reports US troops coming to Colombian military bases, paramilitaries coming to Colombian towns along the Venezuelan border, plans for “a joint naval force between the United States, Colombia and Mexico,” and arrival of a contingent of 415 members of the United States Air Force to Panama to create support and logistics points for the operation against Venezuela. Also important are two fast-acting US military bases installed in the communities of Vichada and Leticia, Colombia, bordering Venezuela.

Both Colombia and Brazil have deployed more troops to their borders with Venezuela. Colombian President Santos ordered “the deployment of 3000 additional security personnel to the Venezuelan border. This figure included 2,120 more soldiers.” The decision came the day before officials from the US Southern Command met in Colombia to “discuss security cooperation.” Brazil also announced plans to “double its border patrols on the Venezuelan frontier.” The excuse for these increased deployments was due to Venezuelan migrants crossing the border into Colombia and Brazil.

To calm these concerns, President Maduro called for a meeting between Venezuelan authorities and Colombia over security concerns along their border. The Colombian government estimates that 450,000 Venezuelan migrants have entered the country in the last 18 months.  Maduro said that official numbers did not equate to a “massive exodus” and reminded Colombia that during the Colombian civil war with the FARC, 5.6 million Colombians crossed the border to make Venezuela their home.

The corporate intelligence firm, Stratfor, which works closely with the US government, recently published a report that could be laying the groundwork for a border dispute. Stratfor wrote that Brazilian intelligence officials are goinging to meet with Guyana’s officials to warn them that Venezuela is planning to attack Guyana. There is a long-term dispute over land between Venezuela and Guyana that is being litigated before the International Court of Justice. The report includes a questionable claim that there is an “ongoing dialogue with the Trump administration over the terms of President Nicolas Maduro and his party’s departure from power.” The reality is that President Maduro is preparing for the April election.

In response to these actions, President Maduro announced the Venezuelan armed forces will carry out military exercises on February 24 and 25 in “defense” of the nation to fine-tune the movement of “tanks, missiles, and helicopters as part of the nation’s defense strategy.”

Upcoming Elections in Venezuela

The opposition in Venezuela has been seeking presidential elections since 2016 when they presented a petition for the recall of President Maduro. They claimed to collect enough signatures, but there were allegations of voter fraud, including thousands of dead people’s names listed on the petitions.

Violent protests followed the rejection of the petition and Henrique Capriles set a deadline for an election in November 2016, threatening larger protests. On November 1, opposition leader Henry Ramos, the head of the national assembly, announced the cancellation of the protests.  The opposition still pressed for an election. The government announced a special election to be held in February or March of 2018.

Now,  Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced, “We have a date for the presidential election, which is the date proposed by the opposition, April 22. Furthermore, we have the electoral guarantees proposed by the opposition, so we are going to the elections and the Venezuelan people will decide their future with democracy and votes.” Officials of the Dominican Republic observers guaranteeing the legitimacy of the elections. Venezuela will invite the United Nations and others to also serve as observers. Despite this, the United States and members of the right-wing Lima Group of US allies, say they will not recognize the elections.

Does the Trump Administration Want War to “Unify the Country”

President Trump’s divisive presidency has left him unpopular in the polls. Hours before his State of the Union speech, Trump told television news anchors, “I would love to be able to bring back our country into a great form of unity. Without a major event where people pull together, that’s hard to do. But I would like to do it without that major event because usually that major event is not a good thing.”

We hope President Trump is not looking at the increase in public support that President George W. Bush received after he attacked Iraq as a model for his administration. Instead, he should remember President Lyndon Johnson being driven from office after his landslide election because of the Vietnam war.

The Trump administration has failed in its attempts to instigate war with North Korea and Iran. The terrible diplomatic performance of Vice President Pence at the Olympic games, where the two Koreas began to make progress toward peace and unification, puts the US in a weaker position to threaten North Korea. President Kim invited President Moon to North Korea to continue peace talks. Now there is rising hope for an agreement between the two Koreas.

Similarly, the protests in Iran, which the US may have encouraged, fizzled. When the US brought the protests to the UN Security Council and used them to call for action against Iran, the US was isolated. Countries asked whether the UN should have taken action against the US after the protests in Ferguson over the police killing of Michael Brown. The protests also exposed massive US spending to create opposition to the government in Iran, as well as coordination with Israel.

Stopping the US Attack on Venezuela

In our last article, we indicated the reasons for the threat of a military coup and military attack were because Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and because Venezuela has set an example of breaking from US dominance of the region and challenging capitalism.

In addition, economic sanctions have pushed Venezuela to have closer relations with Russia and China to circumvent US sanctions.  The US does not want these global rivals in what it has considered its backyard since the Monroe Doctrine.

Finally, the US is concerned with Venezuela’s new cryptocurrency, which will launch within days and be backed by 5.3 billion barrels of oil worth $267 billion. The cryptocurrency is a bid to offset Venezuela’s deep financial crisis. This threatens US economic domination.

We must expose the reasons for increasing US aggression towards Venezuela and work to counter misinformation in the media that is attempting to build support for a military conflict with Venezuela. Here are actions you can take:

1. Use this tool to contact your Members of Congress. Urge them to use diplomacy with Venezuela and to stop the sanctions, which are a deadly form of economic warfare. CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION.

2. Share this newsletter widely in your community and through social media.

3. Join the actions on February 23 with messages of “US out of Guantanamo” and “No war with Venezuela.”

Let’s stop this next war before it begins!