Result of Service

In close consultation with the project coordinator based in Vienna and the regional CT coordinator based in Dakar, and under the overall supervision of the Chief of Implementation Support Section II, the Consultant is expected to provide substantive support for a training of training programme and the development of a training manual and a toolkit to be use by the trainers on the topic of the collection, conservation and sharing of information from the battlefield.

Work Location

Home based with travel to Niger:
11-15 September 2023 to Niamey, Niger
19-22 September 2023 to Niamey, Niger
16-20 October 2023 to Niamey, Niger

Expected duration

22 May- 30 Nov 2023

Duties and Responsibilities

Background of the assignment:

A key component of global counter-terrorism efforts since 2001 has been the promotion of effective and rule of law (RoL) based criminal justice responses to terrorism, that also comply with international human rights and humanitarian law obligations. This has been clearly stated in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

For this purpose, all states have an obligation to bring to justice perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of terrorist attacks, and also those responsible for aiding, supporting or harbouring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these acts should be held accountable.

However, Member States face challenges in achieving this goal, in certain situations, such as counter terrorism operations conducted in battlefield and conflict zones. Although, Significant information and materials, which may lead to further investigations or eventually used as evidence for criminal prosecutions, can be retrieved in such situations, such as intelligence information about membership of individuals to terrorist organizations and the scope of the networks they operate in, forensic information (fingerprints on IEDs or blast fragments) and other material, but due to the growing capacity of terrorist groups and the occupation of vast areas of contested territory, it became very challenging for Member States to obtain admissible information which could serve as evidence in the phases of investigation and prosecution.

Assuring coordination and cooperation between members of the military and other criminal justice actors and compliance of all measures implemented by the military with national criminal procedures and rule of law standards are key factors for the success of such operations in achieving the prosecutorial goals that it eventually aims to.

To help Member States to meet these challenges, the United Nations developed guidelines on the role of military personnel in the collection, sharing and use of material and information that can be used as evidence for the purposes of criminal prosecution of terrorist suspects, including FTFs, in appropriate contexts. The main goal of the guidelines is to help achieve improved understanding of policy, practice and capacity gaps in relation to the role of the military in the collection, sharing and use of evidence for the purposes of criminal prosecution of terrorist suspects.

Guided by the United Nations’ guidelines and UNODC’s previous experience in providing technical assistance to Member States on collecting material and information that can be used as evidence from battlefields by military, the current project will aim to achieve the following objectives:

- To finalize the development, adoption and implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) regulating the operational aspects of the involvement of military personnel in the collection, conservation and sharing of information and material that can be used as evidence from battlefield and the cooperation with relevant criminal justice actors;
- To streamline all procedures conducted by the military for the collection of information and material from battlefield with national criminal procedures and rule of law and in particular to ensure the availability of a national legal authorization for the military to assist in law enforcement tasks.
- To enhance cooperation, coordination and sharing of operational information on the use of information and material that can be used as evidence from battlefield, between military and criminal justice actors;
- To enhance technical capacity of competent and specialized military officers on securing and preserving of evidence collected from battlefield and promoting the adoption and implementation of chain of custody procedures, in compliance with human rights and international standards.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university (Master's degree or equivalent) in the fields of law, criminology, public administration, political science, international relations or related fields of criminal justice, crime prevention and/or law enforcement, is required. A first-level university degree or equivalent academic education, professional training, with specialization in criminal justice, and/or other related areas, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• 15 years of practical experience in adult-learning training, with specialization in capacity-building activities is required;
• Experience in designing and implementing technical assistance activities focusing on criminal justice responses for criminal justice officials is required;
• Previous experience in working with UN agencies on developing training manuals and delivery of capacity building activities is required;
• Previous work experience at the national and international levels with a focus on West African region is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in oral and written English and French, is required. Knowledge of other United Nations official languages is an advantage.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.