Consultant: Building Strong Procedural Mechanisms for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA)
Conducting a Needs Assessment on International Judicial Cooperation Frameworks in Six East African Countries, under the project “Building Strong Procedural Mechanisms for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA)-Phase 2”
The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), an institution inspired by the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), provides training to lawmakers, police, prosecutors, judges, corrections officials and other justice sector practitioners on how to address terrorism and related transnational criminal activities within a rule of law framework. Established in 2014 in Malta, with an international Governing Board of Administrators (GBA) representing fourteen countries and the European Union, the IIJ has established itself as a leading platform to deliver innovative and sustainable counter-terrorism capacity-building based on the rule of law and related good practices developed by the GCTF and other international and regional fora. For more information, visit the IIJ website.
BACKGROUND
In 2015, the IIJ launched its Global Central Authorities Initiative (GCAI) to support partner nations in reinforcing their central authorities and strengthening their international judicial cooperation. Since then, the IIJ has worked with a wide range of countries – including in East Africa — and has published The IIJ Good Practices for Central Authorities, which build upon Good Practice 9 of the GCTF’s Rabat Memorandum and promote United Nations Security Council Resolutions relevant to international judicial cooperation (such as Resolutions 2322 and 2396).
The Canadian-funded project Building Strong Procedural Mechanisms for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA), launched in 2022, aims to build upon past programmes implemented under the IIJ’s GCAI and seeks to increase cross-border sharing of information and standardise procedures for issuing and processing MLA and extradition requests in both Kenya and Somalia and between the two countries. Since November 2024, the IIJ has completed seven activities under the project, working directly with Kenyan and Somali practitioners and institutions to take stock of the current state of play of their respective MLA and extradition mechanisms, identifying areas which could be improved. At the joint Kenyan-Somali workshop of October 2023, practitioners agreed on a number of priority areas to strengthen their judicial cooperation in the mid- and long-term. The project was renewed for a second phase in March 2025, whereby the regional cooperation is further expanded to include other countries from East Africa.
A regional meeting of central and competent authorities and key international judicial cooperation (IJC) stakeholders in Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda is due to take place in October 2025 (TBC) in Istanbul, Türkiye. Prior to this meeting, which will help identify commonalities and areas for greater cooperation among the six East African countries, a needs assessment will be conducted by an IIJ consultant to shed light on the current state of play of IJC mechanisms in the six East African countries, including on current legal frameworks, institutional setups, administrative procedures, training programmes, statistical trends, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Findings from the needs assessment will be used to develop the agenda of the regional meeting.
The IIJ thus seeks one (1) consultant to prepare a needs assessment and to attend and present at the regional meeting in Istanbul scheduled for October 2025 (TBC).
KEY TASKS AND DELIVERABLES:
The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the IIJ Senior Manager and Officer-in Charge for the Programmatic Unit, and under the direct supervision of the IIJ Programme Manager.
The Consultant’s services will entail the following tasks within the timeframes provided and with regular discussions on progress with the IIJ Progamme Manager:
a. Conduct the needs assessment (i.e. conduct desk research and analysis) on the following issues in each of the six East African countries (14 days, completed by 13 June 2025):
- Security and Threat Landscape Analysis:
Analyse security/crime dynamics such as armed conflict, organised crime, trafficking, and terrorism among the six East African countries.
Assess diplomatic relations and migratory issues impacting IJC among these nations. - Legal, Institutional and Procedural Frameworks:
Review legal frameworks governing IJC mechanisms such as MLA, extradition, joint investigation teams, and prisoner transfers;
Review institutional setups, including central authorities and competent government agencies involved in IJC.
Identify administrative procedures such as timelines, templates for requests, inter-agency guidelines, and coordination mechanisms. - Statistical, Training and Resources Analysis:
If available, gather data on IJC request volumes by type (e.g., MLA, extradition), offense categories, requesting/requested countries, assistance requested, incoming/outgoing requests, and annual trends.
Assess training programmes for central and competent authorities staff (including possibly prosecutors) on IJC topics, including curriculum details and associated resources.
Evaluate the use of case management systems or other technological tools supporting IJC processes within central ad competent authorities. - Identification of Challenges and Opportunities:
Identify obstacles hindering effective implementation of IJC mechanisms and evaluate existing solutions or gaps;
Review and suggest relevant good practices which could be beneficial to the countries at stake;
Evaluate the usefulness of formal agreements or Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen cooperation among these six East African countries. - Mapping of Stakeholders:
Identify, with the IIJ Programme Manager’s help, contact points from central and competent authorities in the six East African countries who should be invited to the regional meeting and collect their contact details;
Identify other relevant stakeholders active in IJC in East Africa and gather contact details;
b. Conduct consultations remotely with relevant stakeholders in the six East African countries, as necessary to ensure the needs assessment provides comprehensive information. In that context, prepare a brief consultation plan on what will be addressed during the consultation call and share with IIJ PM prior to the call;
c. Present findings from the needs assessment at the Regional Conference on International Judicial Cooperation in Istanbul (2 days in October 2025 -TBC).
CONSULTANT PROFILE
• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law or a relevant discipline.
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in research and/or practical experience related to international judicial cooperation, including experience in conducting legal analysis related to this topic.
• Relevant experience as a criminal justice practitioner or government official involved in IJC is desirable;
• Thorough knowledge of the legal and political landscape and institutions as well as criminal procedure, national legislation on international judicial cooperation, and rule of law issues (including counter-terrorism and transnational criminality) of at least one of the six East African countries;
• Fluency in English and at least one of the official languages of the six East African countries (other than English) including Swahili,
Arabic, Afar, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, and Tigrinya, is desirable;
• Good legal and policy research, drafting, conceptual thinking and analytical skills.
• Attention to deadlines and achieving results in accordance with qualitative and quantitative requirements.
• Ability to work in a team and with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested applicants should apply by sending a copy of their CV and Covering Letter to the IIJ Executive Secretariat on hr@theiij.org and Ms. Nathalie Tran, IIJ Programme Manager, on trann@theiij.org, +356 9999 5393. Deadline for submission of applications is 28th April 2025.