Following the invitation of Amélie Delaroche, GBA member and director of counterterrorism and the fight against organised crime (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France), Steven Hill travelled with part of the team to Paris (France) on 14 and 15 December.
It was an opportunity to have some enriching meetings with the IIJ's network at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, first and foremost Adrien Frier, Strategic Affairs Adviser, the Geographical Directorates and the Crisis and Support Centre, as well as at the Ministry of Justice. The IIJ team also met with the national anti-terrorism prosecutor, who welcomed the team to the Paris judicial court to discuss the IIJ's role in building the capacity of judicial practitioners. "I would like to thank [Amélie Delaroche] very much for these meetings in Paris, which mark an important milestone for me at the end of my first year as the IIJ Executive Secretary".
France is one of the IIJ's founders and an essential supporter of the Institute's missions, even more since the foundation of the Academic Unit under the direction of Marie Compère, a French judge. France funds the Academic Unit's online and in-person programmes, such as the CTAC judgement, co-funded by France and Germany, which has just been admitted to the GBA; the Programme Unit's seminars, led by Gail Malone, a federal prosecutor seconded from the DoJ, on combating radicalisation in prisons; and, indirectly, the European Union's support for the CT-PHARE project. These meetings during our activities, in international forums or on the occasion of dedicated visits are essential to the development of the IIJ as it approaches its 10th anniversary. A huge thank you to our donors, both Board members and non-members, for their confidence
