Comments (0)

By Debbie, June 20, 2010

Guest Blogger: Anna Sandor

Maternal Mortality—Progress, but not Enough

43^rd Commission on Population and Development

The theme of the 43rd UN Commission on Population and Development concentrated on Health, Morbidity and Mortality; however, a primary sub-topic was that of extending health care to all by exposing and rectifying gender inequality. Protecting women is important for multiple reasons—the most obvious being that they are the key to ensuring a healthy population and sustainable birth rates. Birth rates, in turn, directly impact economic development through human capital.  Thus, if a sustainable and healthy growth rate of economic development is directly in the country’s interest, and this economic growth can only be reached only through gender empowerment, it is imperative for countries to address the specific health care access issues that women face.  The New York Times, during the convention, published an article about the decline in overall maternal morbidity globally.  Despite this, a common theme at the convention was the use of the NYT article by NGOs and country representatives as motivation to continue efforts to reduce gender inequalities instead of as a reason to slow them down.  After all, the situation remains dire in developing and least developed countries.  Pregnancy and childbirth is still the leading cause (globally) of death in 16-25 women.  54 million people worldwide still suffer from complications with pregnancy. In addition, sexual and reproductive problems are still 18% of the global disease burden. Maternal mortality is especially grave in Sub-Saharan Africa, where women face a 1 in 16 lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy related causes. Every country has a responsibility to reduce maternal mortality rates in order to advance human fulfillment, as well as economic development Thus, a major theme at the conference was that the recent NYT article should not dissuade us from continued efforts towards progress, but should remind us of all the work that is left.

Despite the positive advancements globally, maternal deaths in East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa fail to be adequately addressed. Moreover, the international community has a moral and social obligation to commit to addressing maternal mortality in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals 4, 5, 6, and 3. These involve reducing child mortality, improving maternal health through universal access to reproductive health care, combating HIV/AIDS (1.5 million of the 2 million that die each year from HIV are children and women and women are 1.2 times more likely to be infected than men), and promoting gender equality. Three of the eight Millennium Development Goals are related to health.  Most of these, particularly reproductive health, are important for the short-run, as well as long-run Millennium Development Success.

In order to continue advancing towards the goal, barriers in ensuring women’s health must be tackled.  Unequal access issues must be addressed. Tackling these barriers requires initiatives at local and national levels to ensure sustainability. One barrier to access is the lack of a working health care system.  Delivering an functional health care system requires effective engineering.  The second large barrier is social inequality. Social and legal disadvantages yield unequal power relations and are a major obstacle in health care access for women. Empowerment of women is vital to ensure women’s health and ensures lower rates of gender based violence. This is vital, because women that are abused are 50% more likely to be HIV positive (according to Planned Parenthood).

Another barrier is the lack of access to family planning. Funding for this globally has almost halved and universal access to reproductive health has suffered as a result.  According to the International Planned Parenthood Federation, one of the main pillars of development is family planning.   Efforts to reform family planning should continue through civil society organizations that complement government organizations. After all, the facts are stark: 215 million people don’t have access to contraceptives.  Access would prevent millions of unwanted pregnancies.

Global cooperation is clearly needed on the issue of maternal morbidity.  Internationally funded support programs are imperative.  This requires advocates and politicians to raise awareness.  Many NGOs at the Commission recommended increased budget allocations towards women’s health. Some even recommended that donor countries commit . Seven percent of GDP to global and domestic programs for reproductive rights. The next commission will concentrate on adolescence and youth, and the role of maternal morbidity will be a continuing theme at this commission as well.

Comments (0)

By Debbie, June 20, 2010

Position Opening: Finance, Board of Directors

The Council for American Students in International Negotiations
(CASIN) is currently seeking a Treasurer to join its Board of
Directors. Serving on the board of a non-profit organization can be a
tremendously challenging and rewarding experience. Energetic graduate
students, young professionals, and mid-career professionals working or
interested in the fields of international relations, international
law, human rights, international education, and civic engagement are
especially encouraged to apply.

Organization:
CASIN is a membership-based society that strives to deepen the
commitment of American students to multilateral discourse through
scholarship and engagement with intergovernmental and supranational
institutions and the processes that govern them. An educational non-
profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization, CASIN provides young
Americans unprecedented access to the international policymaking
process. The organization’s primary activities consist of (1)
organizing student delegations to meetings of supranational and
intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations and the Assembly
of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and (2)
the production of peer-reviewed scholarly journals on topics of
international importance.

Job Description:
The Treasurer tracks and disburses the organization’s material
resources, manages the annual budgeting process, provides internal and
external reports on the organization’s finances, and supports
development activities. Although this position is specifically for a
Treasurer, each member of the Board works in multiple areas of the
organization’s work, and the ideal candidate should be interested in
much more than mere accounting procedures.

The Treasurer sits on the Board of Directors, the governing body of
the organization that actively administers the organization’s
activities. The Board is comprised of graduate students and young and
mid-career professionals who meet monthly via conference call and
quarterly in person in New York City. This is a skills-building
professional service position, with a time commitment of approximately
20 hours per month, without remuneration. Current and former Board
members have found that serving CASIN has contributed substantially to
their professional development. More details on the structure and
operation of the Board are available at www.americanstudents.us/about/board-of-directors/.

Qualifications:
A commitment or interest in the topics of the organization’s work is
paramount. A basic understanding of nonprofit accounting, reporting,
budgeting, grant writing and grant administration are essential.
Facility with accounting software such as Quickbooks is highly
desirable, but can also be acquired subsequently. The Treasurer must
be able to work virtually approximately 20 hours per week and be
available for monthly conference calls and quarterly meetings in New
York.

CASIN is also looking for a Board member who can administer the
organization’s website. Candidates with webmaster experience, and an
interest in limited webmastering, should note this in their cover
letters.

How to Apply:
Please send a letter of interest, résumé/CV, and three references to
finance@americanstudents.us. Any questions regarding the position can
also be addressed to this address.

Comments (0)

By Debbie, May 25, 2010

Position Opening: Publications Committee, Board of Directors

The Council for American Students in International Negotiations (CASIN) is currently seeking to fill a position on the Publications Committee of its Board of Directors. Energetic graduate students, young professionals, and mid-career professionals working or interested in the fields of international relations, international law, human rights, international education, and civic engagement are especially encouraged to apply.

Organization:

CASIN is a membership-based society that strives to deepen the commitment of American students to multilateral discourse through scholarship and engagement with intergovernmental and supranational institutions and the processes that govern them. An educational non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization, CASIN provides young Americans unprecedented access to the international policymaking process. The organization’s primary activities consist of (1) organizing student delegations to meetings of supranational and intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations and the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and (2) the production of peer-reviewed scholarly journals on topics of international importance.

Job Description:

The Publications Committee oversees the publication to Eyes on the ICC and the Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law, peer-reviewed journals on international legal and political affairs. This includes the recruitment and management of editorial and production staff and the circulation of the journals. Each Board committee contains three members. The position available is uniquely geared toward someone with publication production experience, including aspects such as copyediting, typesetting, printing, online content management, and circulation. The committee member will maintain guidelines for and support journal editorial staff in carrying out these tasks for each annual journal volume.

The Board is comprised of graduate students and young and mid-career professionals who meet monthly via conference call and quarterly in person in New York City. This is a skills-building professional service position, with a time commitment of approximately 20 hours per month, without remuneration. Current and former Board members have found that serving CASIN has contributed substantially to their professional development. More details on the structure and operation of the Board are available at www.americanstudents.us/about/board-of-directors/.

Qualifications:

A commitment or interest in the topics of the organization’s work is paramount. Each member of the Board sits on two committees, and each committee is comprised of at least three directors. While this description is focused on the particular opening on the Publications Committee, the applicant should have broader interests in the organization’s work. For this position, experience in academic publishing, document production, or printmaking is useful. Further, the ideal candidate should have experience with one or several of the following: typesetting, copyediting, online content management, e-commerce, and/or fulfillment. The position requires expert knowledge of Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro; knowledge of more advanced document production software is a plus. The Board member must be able to work virtually approximately 20 hours per week and be available for monthly conference calls and quarterly meetings in New York.

CASIN is also looking for a Board member who can administer the organization’s website. Candidates with webmaster experience, and an interest in limited webmastering, should note this in their cover letters.

How to Apply:

Please send a letter of interest, résumé/CV, and three references to publications@americanstudents.us. Any questions regarding the position can also be addressed to this address.

Comments (0)

By Debbie, May 21, 2010

Position Opening: Treasurer, Board of Directors

The Council for American Students in International Negotiations
(CASIN) is currently seeking a Treasurer to join its Board of
Directors. Serving on the board of a non-profit organization can be a
tremendously challenging and rewarding experience. Energetic graduate
students, young professionals, and mid-career professionals working or
interested in the fields of international relations, international
law, human rights, international education, and civic engagement are
especially encouraged to apply.

Organization:
CASIN is a membership-based society that strives to deepen the
commitment of American students to multilateral discourse through
scholarship and engagement with intergovernmental and supranational
institutions and the processes that govern them. An educational non-
profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization, CASIN provides young
Americans unprecedented access to the international policymaking
process. The organization’s primary activities consist of (1)
organizing student delegations to meetings of supranational and
intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations and the Assembly
of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and (2)
the production of peer-reviewed scholarly journals on topics of
international importance.

Job Description:
The Treasurer tracks and disburses the organization’s material
resources, manages the annual budgeting process, provides internal and
external reports on the organization’s finances, and supports
development activities. Although this position is specifically for a
Treasurer, each member of the Board works in multiple areas of the
organization’s work, and the ideal candidate should be interested in
much more than mere accounting procedures.

The Treasurer sits on the Board of Directors, the governing body of
the organization that actively administers the organization’s
activities. The Board is comprised of graduate students and young and
mid-career professionals who meet monthly via conference call and
quarterly in person in New York City. This is a skills-building
professional service position, with a time commitment of approximately
20 hours per month, without remuneration. Current and former Board
members have found that serving CASIN has contributed substantially to
their professional development. More details on the structure and
operation of the Board are available at www.americanstudents.us/about/board-of-directors/.

Qualifications:
A commitment or interest in the topics of the organization’s work is
paramount. A basic understanding of nonprofit accounting, reporting,
budgeting, grant writing and grant administration are essential.
Facility with accounting software such as Quickbooks is highly
desirable, but can also be acquired subsequently. The Treasurer must
be able to work virtually approximately 20 hours per week and be
available for monthly conference calls and quarterly meetings in New
York.

CASIN is also looking for a Board member who can administer the
organization’s website. Candidates with webmaster experience, and an
interest in limited webmastering, should note this in their cover
letters.

How to Apply:
Please send a letter of interest, résumé/CV, and three references to
finance@americanstudents.us. Any questions regarding the position can
also be addressed to this address.

Comments (0)

By Debbie, January 28, 2010

This spring, CASIN is bringing a group of students to observe and participate in the Commission on Population and Development at the United Nations. We are currently accepting applications to attend the conference.

Information: Commission on Population and Development, 43rd session

Date of event: April 12, 2010 – April 16, 2010

Location: New York

Theme: Health, Morbidity, Mortality and Development

The Commission on Population and Development (CPD), formerly the Population Commission, is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations Population Division. The CPD’s primary focus is on studying and assisting the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with population issues and patterns, streamlining of population and development strategies, providing temporary assistance to developing countries that request it, recommending steps for implementation of the Program of Action (http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/aboutcom.htm).

We invite applications from all students interested in observing, attending, and participating in this exciting conference. For questions or to obtain a copy of the application, please email Tanya Maxwell at tanya@americanstudents.us or Debbie Sharnak at debbie@americanstudents.us

Comments (0)

By Debbie, December 29, 2009

Eyes on the ICC Seeks New Editor-in-Chief 

The Board of Directors is accepting applications for the position of Editor-in-Chief of Eyes on the ICC, CASIN’s flagship academic journal on the International Criminal Court. Junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, ABDs, and advanced graduate students are especially encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2010. 

Eyes on the ICC is an annual journal published by the Council for American Students in International Negotiations, a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of a network of students and young professionals from around the world.  

Entering its sixth year of publication, Eyes on the ICC is an interdisciplinary journal that invites submissions from any field that address the International Criminal Court or international criminal law more generally. Past editors have come from the fields of international law, international relations, and sociology. To view current and previous volumes, please visit the journal’s website.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Editor-in-Chief (EIC), with the assistance of the Managing Editor and 5-7 Assistant Editors, will be responsible for producing one volume per publication year, comprised of at least five articles, with a camera-ready manuscript due on November 1. Submissions are accessed via Expresso as well as through direct e-mail contact between authors and the EIC or the Managing Editor. The EIC reports to the Publications Committee of CASIN’s Board of Directors.

Additional obligations will include:

-          Assisting in managing submissions received via Expresso as well as through direct e-mail contact with ME or EIC;

-          Assisting in managing submissions to be published on the CASIN website throughout the publication year;

-          Managing the peer review process;

-          Supervising the Managing Editor;

-          Making article selection decisions based on reviews of Editorial Staff;

-          Assisting with all final-editing of all accepted articles and assisting with intermittent contact with authors throughout selection process as need be;

-          Maintaining regular contact with ME, who manages most of administrative editorial process;

-          Maintaining regular contact with Publications Board, Directors, and Peer Reviewers, as well as Editorial Advisory Board;

Please note that this is a virtual position. Work is coordinated predominantly through e-mail and other forms of electronic exchange. Please also note that this position is offered without compensation.

QUALIFICATIONS:

-          Editorial/publication experience;

-          Strong writing, research, and interpersonal skills;

-          Comfort working closely with virtual staff;

-          Strong commitment to international human rights, criminal law, and/or social justice;

-          be reliable, organized, and team-oriented.

Address all questions to publications@americanstudents.us. Applicants will be notified of the decision by mid-February, 2010.

How to Apply:

Submit a letter of interest, a resume/CV, 1-2 writing samples, and 3 references to publications@americanstudents.us.