SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
How to start the application process:
The application process consists of two parts: the first part is a web-based survey and
the second part is an application form in Word format. Both parts and all sections of
the application form need to be completed for the application to be processed.
First part: The web-based survey is used to collect information for statistical
purposes such as personal data (i.e. name, gender, nationality), contact details,
mandate/s applying for and nominating entity. The web-based survey should only
be completed once, i.e. multiple selection is allowed to indicate if the candidate is
applying for more than one mandates.
Second part: The application form in Word which can be downloaded, completed and
saved in Word format and then submitted as an attachment by email. Information
provided in this form includes a motivation letter of maximum 600 words. The
application form should be completed in English only. It will be used as received to
prepare the public list of candidates who applied for each vacancy and will be made
available to concerned parties, including through the OHCHR public website.
Once completed, the application form in Word should be submitted by email to
hrcspecialprocedures@ohchr.org
If the candidate is applying for more than one mandate, a mandate-specific
application form needs to be completed and sent for each mandate.

A maximum of three reference letters can be attached, in pdf format, to the
application sent by email. No additional document is required.

Application deadline: Monday, 28 July 2014 (midnight, GMT).

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed at a later stage.
General description of the selection process is available at
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Nominations.aspx
Please note that for the Working Group appointments, only nationals of States
belonging to the specific regional groups are eligible. Please refer to the list of United
Nations regional groups of Member States at
http://www.un.org/depts/DGACM/RegionalGroups.shtml
In case of technical difficulties, or if you encountering problems completing or
accessing any of the forms, the Secretariat may be contacted by email at
hrcspecialprocedures@ohchr.org or fax at + 41 22 917 9011.
An acknowledgment email will be sent when we receive both parts of the
application process, i.e. the information through the web-based survey and
the Word application form by email.
Thank you for your interest in the work of the Human Rights Council.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
I. PERSONAL DATA
1. Family name: AMRANI
5. Sex:
2. First name: Soumia
6. Date of birth (dd-mm-yy): 11-021966
7. Place of birth: Fes- Maroc
8. Nationality (please indicate the
3. Maiden name (if any):
4. Middle name:
Male
Female
nationality that will appear on the public
list of candidates): Moroccan
9. Any other nationality: No
II. MANDATE - SPECIFIC COMPETENCE / QUALIFICATIONS / KNOWLEDGE
NOTE: Please describe why the candidate’s competence /
qualifications / knowledge is relevant in relation to the specific
mandate:
1. QUALIFICATIONS (200 words)
Relevant educational qualifications or equivalent professional experience in the
field of human rights; good communication skills (i.e. orally and in writing) in
one of the six official languages of the United Nations (i.e. Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian, Spanish.)
2011- 2014: Member of the National Human Rights Council
2006 - 2014 : Founding member of the National Autism Network (Collectif
Autisme Maroc) I have been organizing several training sessions on various
autism-related topics (ABA, PECS, etc.) and I have been providing advice and
guidance to families in the field of human rights and disabilities and national
laws. In 2009-2010, I travelled across the country raising awareness on rights
of persons with autism as part of the capacity building project.
2005-2006: Member of the National Committee for National Year of Autism
2006: Vice-president of AMATA, an NGO specially dedicated to Autism and
integrative education.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
2005-2014: Member of the National Network Promoting Rights of Persons with
Disabilities I have been appointed Vice-President in 2013 and I am still in
office.
2002-2011: President of Pinocchio, a Family NGO promoting equal access to
education for children with autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrom.
1991-2014: Desk officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Morocco
1991: Graduate Certificate in International Relations and Political Science at
Mohamed V University- Rabat
1988: Law Degree specialized in International Relation at Mohammed
Benabdellah University- Fes
1984: Baccalaureat in Litterature at Ibn Hazm School- Fes
2. RELEVANT EXPERTISE (200 words)
Knowledge of international human rights instruments, norms and principles.
(Please state how this was acquired.)
Knowledge of institutional mandates related to the United Nations or other
international or regional organizations’ work in the area of human rights.
(Please state how this was acquired.)
Proven work experience in the field of human rights. (Please state years of
experience.)
I acquired my knowledge of international Human Rights instruments, norms
and principles through my initial education; and through several training
sessions such as the Executive Master on Human Rights I received in 2014 or
the training on Human Rights I attended in June 2011.
During the 12 years of work as a Human Rights activist, I have put this
knowledge into practice notably by participating in the work of the National
Year of autism in 2005 and the drafting of the bill Disability 62- 09. In 2010, I
trained agents of the Agency of Social Development on the topics of
“Childhood, Gender and Disability” in 4 regions of Morocco. In 2012, I drafted
the study about Moroccan educational policies in the field of disability
(http://www.projetmounassara.org/uploads/media/Etude_capitalisation_maroc_web.pdf) .
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
I took part to several UN events such as participating as a witness to the
Universal Periodic Review session "Spain and Tunisia reports" (in April 2011),
and in May 2012, I was coached by International Disability Alliance to
advocate the rights of disabled Moroccan people for UPR-Morocco. I also, as
described in the next section, took part in March 2014 to the Human Rights
Council Meeting, and to a League of Arab States Meeting.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
3. ESTABLISHED COMPETENCE
(200 words)
Nationally, regionally or internationally recognized competence related to
human rights. (Please explain how such competence was acquired.)
As a member of the National Council of Human Rights (NCHR) :
-I have attended the proceedings of the Conference of States Parties to the
CRPD 2013 and the meeting of the League of Arab states on discrimination
2014
- I drafted the NCHR oral statement at the annual debate on the rights of
persons with disabilities about education HRC 2014
- I was member of the steering committee of the study PWD rights in
Moroccan Southern Provinces 2013 - 2014
-I jointly developed the NCHR strategy on disability and I am responsible with
my colleagues in the implementation of this strategy
-I coordinated the awareness national campaign on autism in 13 Moroccan
Regions which has been held under Article 8 of the CRPD (2014), through this
campaign awareness of the human rights approach in the field of autism has
increased. Thus, the regional commissions of human rights have registered in
future actions in future actions
-I am drafting a document capitalization on the regional caravan’s autism. And
some recommendations about the effectiveness of the rights of autistic
persons .
-I currently co-prepare actions concerning the rights of persons with
disabilities who are programmed at the World Forum on Human Rights that
the National Council for Human Rights organized in November 2014
4. FLEXIBILITY/READINESS AND AVAILABILITY OF TIME (200 words)
to perform effectively the functions of the mandate and to respond to its
requirements, including participating in Human Rights Council sessions in
Geneva and General Assembly sessions in New York, travelling on special
procedures visits, drafting reports and engaging with a variety of stakeholders.
(Indicate whether candidate can dedicate an estimated total of approx. three
months per year to the work of a mandate.)
My unyielding will to promote and protect people with disability’s rights has
allowed me to meet my obligations and fulfill my commitments toward all the
organizations I belong to (associative, professional as well as political).
If my application to the Position of United Nations Special Rapporteur on
Disability were to be chosen, I have no doubt that the State of Morocco, the
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
Foreign Affairs Department, as well as the National Council on Human Rights
would provide me their full support and help to perform the duties of the
Rapporteur’s Position.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
III. MOTIVATION LETTER (600 word limit)
Soumia Amrani
Email: soumia.amrani@gmail.com
Mobile phone:+ 212 667 996 442
Rabat, the 28th of July 2014
Human Rights Council
Geneva, Switzerland
Object: Application for the position of United Nations Special Rapporteur on
Disability
Dear Madam/Sir,
My commitment to human rights promotion was fuelled by my personal
experience as a mother of a 21 years old woman with autism, epilepsy and
cerebral palsy: I had to deal with the denial of her basic rights and disabilitybased discrimination on a daily basis, and as I came to realize that these
issues needed to be addressed collectively, I got involved in families
associations to promote equal access to education. The lesson I drew from
this first experience is that several state and non-state actors act in a
charitable way when dealing with disability, hence there is no recognition of
disabled people as citizens who have rights. From that point, my activities
evolved from providing services for people with disabilities in families
associations to advocating for human rights in associations’ networks. I joined
the National Network Promoting Rights of Persons with Disabilities Collectif
pour la Promotion des Droits des Personnes en Situation de Handicap (I
currently am its Vice-President), the Equality Network (Réseau Egalité) and I
am a founding member of the National Autism Network I am it's Treasurer.
As a human rights activist with twelve years of experience, I acquired several
skills that I wish to put in practice in a position such as the UN Special
Rapporteur on Disability.
Indeed, I am used to work effectively under pressure and in a highly political
environment, as well as assume important responsibilities. For instance, I was
the co-author of the NCHR memorandum on the framework law 97-13 on
disability that will soon be published. I also am in charge at the NCHR of
monitoring studies about several thematics (autism, accessibility, education
and employment of disabled people, etc.), and in this context, I frequently
intervene to process complaints about disabled people rights violations.
I have a great adaptability to cross-cultural contexts as well as experience in
addressing diverse audiences. Working in an international context would be
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
the opportunity for me to share the Moroccan experience and challenges
regarding disability as well as learning from other countries experience,
respecting of the universality of human rights and taking into account
specificity of each context. So far, my greatest achievement was the
organization of the 1st International Congress on Autism in Morocco in
partnership with the Morrocan Ministry of Social Development and the National
Council of Human Rights and Collective Autism Morocco. I also met a great
diversity of actors during the regional caravans, hence it allowed me to make
a more precise diagnostic on the stumbling blocks impeding disabled people’s
rights and to better plan for their implementation.
I attended several trainings and workshops on intervention methods among
children and youth with disabilities such as : Applied Behavior Analysis
“ABA”, Picture exchange communication system “PECS”, neuro-functional
reorganization “Padovan”, Montessori as well as on the right-based approach
and advocacy, and I know my unquenchable thirst for knowledge will serve
me well if my application to this position is accepted.
8|Page
SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
IV. LANGUAGES (READ / WRITTEN / SPOKEN)
Please indicate all language skills:
Mother tongue: Arabic
Arabic: Yes or no: yes If yes,
Read: Easily or Not easily: Easily
Write: Easily or Not easily: Easily
Speak: Easily or Not easily: Easily
Chinese: Yes or no: no If yes,
Read: Easily or not easily:
Write: Easily or not easily:
Speak: Easily or not easily:
English: Yes or no: yes If yes,
Read: Easily or not easily: Easily
Write: Easily or not easily: Easily
Speak: Easily or not easily: not easily
French: Yes or no: yes If yes,
Read: Easily or not easily: easily
Write: Easily or not easily: easily
Speak: Easily or not easily: easily
Russian: Yes or no: no If yes,
Read: Easily or not easily:
Write: Easily or not easily:
Speak: Easily or not easily:
Spanish: Yes or no: no If yes,
Read: Easily or not easily:
Write: Easily or not easily:
Speak: Easily or not easily:
9|Page
SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
V. EDUCATIONAL RECORD
NOTE: Please list the candidate’s academic qualifications (university
level and higher).
Name of degree and name of academic
institution:
Executive master on Human Rights:
International University of Rabat
Years of
attendance
(From/To):
Place and
country:
2014
Morocco - Rabat
Vocational training on Human Rights -UNIGE
June 2011
SwitzerlandGeneva
Graduate Certificate in International Relations
and Political Science - Mohamed V University
1988-1991
Morocco- Rabat
Law Degree specialized in International
Relation - Mohamed BenAbdellah University
1984-1988
Morocco- Fes
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
VI. EMPLOYMENT RECORD
NOTE: Please briefly list ALL RELEVANT professional positions held,
beginning with the most recent one.
Name of employer,
functional title,
main functions of position:
Years of
work
(From/To):
Place
and
country:
National Human Rights Council (Member) Disability
Task Force
2011-2014
Morocco
Ministry Of Foreing Affairs and Cooperation
(Counseller of Foreing Affairs)
1991-2014
Morocco
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
VII. COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY PROVISIONS
(of Human Rights Council resolution 5/1)
1. To your knowledge, does the candidate have any official, professional,
personal, or financial relationships that might cause him/her to limit the extent
of their inquiries, to limit disclosure, or to weaken or slant findings in any way?
If yes, please explain.
No
2. Are there any factors that could either directly or indirectly influence,
pressure, threaten, or otherwise affect the candidate’s ability to act
independently in discharging his/her mandate? If yes, please explain:
No
3. Is there any reason, currently or in that past, that could call into question
the candidate’s moral authority and credibility or does the candidate hold any
views or opinions that could prejudice the manner in which she/he discharges
his mandate? If yes, please explain:
No
4. Does the candidate comply with the provisions in paragraph 44 and 46 of
the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1?
Para. 44: The principle of non-accumulation of human rights functions at
a time shall be respected.
Para. 46: Individuals holding decision-making positions in Government
or in any other organization or entity which may give rise to a conflict of
interest with the responsibilities inherent to the mandate shall be
excluded. Mandate-holders will act in their personal capacity.
I satisfy this condition, since I assume no mandate of Human Rights
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
[HRC resolution 26/20]
(Appointments of special procedures mandate holders to be made
at HRC27 in September 2014)
5. Should the candidate be appointed as a mandate holder, he/she will have to
take measures to comply with paragraphs 44 and 46 of the annex to Council
resolution 5/1. In the event that the current occupation or activity, even if
unpaid, of the candidate may give rise to a conflict of interest (e.g. if a
candidate holds a decision-making position in Government) and/or there is an
accumulation of human rights functions (e.g. as a member of another human
rights mechanism at the international, regional or national level), necessary
measures could include relinquishing positions, occupations or activities. If
applicable, please indicate the measures the candidate will take.
I hold no position of responsibility at the government level or other which
could lead to a conflict of interest with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
****
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