The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is pleased to announce its first Middle East Associative Rights Initiative Senior Research Fellowships.ICNL is offering to four highly qualified senior fellows theopportunity to spend one month in Washington DC to conduct cutting edgeresearch on the laws affecting civil society in Middle East/NorthAfrica (MENA) region.

Upon their completion of quality research papers, ICNL will workwith the fellows to edit, publish, and distribute their research inlocal and regional outlets in the Middle East, including a two-dayAssociative Rights and Civil Society Law conference to take place inBeirut in May 2006. Fellows will also have the opportunity to apply forsmall grants to support follow-on initiatives once they return to theirhome countries. During the course of the program, fellows will haveaccess to ICNL's staff of lawyers with expertise in civil society lawand its extensive library of materials on civil society law to completetheir research. In addition, ICNL will assist fellows in designing aprogram of study, to be carried out during the fellowship that willassist them in pursuing their research interests.

Fellowships will cover the cost of travel to and from Washington, DCand room and board for one month. No honorarium will be offered.

Senior Research Fellowships are part of a one year project funded bythe US State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative to promoteknowledge of associative rights and the legal issues affecting civilsociety in the MENA region.

The International Center for Not-For-Profit Law is an internationalnot-for-profit organization that promotes an enabling legal environmentfor civil society, freedom of association, and public participationaround the world. ICNL has provided technical and research assistanceto support the reform of laws affecting NGOs in over 90 countries,drawing upon a worldwide network of partners and experts to makeavailable innovative research and analysis on legal topics affectingcivil society to a broad audience.

For more information, please contact Erin Means at emeans@icnl.org or (202) 452-8600. For more information about the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, please visit our website at www.icnl.org.