CT PHARE: Consultant
About the IIJ
The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) is an organisation located in Malta with a mission to deliver innovative and sustainable capacity-building through the implementation of counter-terrorism-related, rule of law-based good practices developed by the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and other international and regional fora.
Since its inauguration in 2014, the IIJ has trained more than 9000 criminal justice practitioners through its interactive capacity-building workshops – in Malta and abroad – that enhance the competencies of parliamentarians, judges, prosecutors, police, prison, and other criminal justice practitioners to address terrorism and related transnational criminal activities within a rule of law framework. The IIJ delivers capacity-building training tailored to the needs of the regions it serves, including East and West Africa; North Africa and the Middle East; Southeast Asia. IIJ activities also includes participants from the Western Balkans, Central Asia, and South Asia. For more information on the IIJ, please visit the IIJ’s website www.theiij.org
Moreover, the Council Conclusions on EU External Action on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism of June 2020 highlighted the need to strengthen the human rights-compliant criminal justice chain worldwide and noted the critical role played by the GCTF and its inspired institutions – including the IIJ – in promoting these objectives.
Therefore, at the end of 2022, in support of the Council Conclusions, the IIJ has launched the CT PHARE project – Platform for Human Rights Engagement, funded by the European Union’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), with the specific objective to increase the degree to which states’ counterterrorism policies, legislation, and judicial strategies, in addition to day-to-day investigation and prosecution practices, comply with internationally-recognised human rights standards – both on the policy and the operational levels.
Consultancy Position
The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), through its European Union-funded Counter-terrorism Platform for Human Rights Engagement (CT PHARE), has developed a Toolkit on the Human Rights-Based Decision-Making Model (DMM) for counter-terrorism operations and crisis management. This Toolkit serves as the foundation for two Training of Trainers (ToT) programs, which aim to equip key professionals from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as East and West Africa, with the necessary skills to train others practitioners on the DMM.
By empowering participants with the knowledge and skills to deliver training on the DMM for counter-terrorism operations, the initiatives will contribute to long-term, sustainable improvements in counter-terrorism practices across the two regions.
Therefore, the IIJ CT PHARE Team is seeking experts that will deliver two ToTs, enabling practitioners to:
• Deepen their understanding of the DMM and its application in counter-terrorism contexts.
• Enhance their ability to train others on human rights-based decision-making in law enforcement.
• Strengthen decision-making capacities that respect international human rights standards and the rule of law while addressing counter-terrorism challenges.
• Foster knowledge-sharing among professionals across the MENA, and East and West Africa regions and build a network of trainers committed to human rights in counter-terrorism.
The first ToT will be co-organised with the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC) Secretariat General, and the second with the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUCTC).
Specific key tasks and deliverables
Specific Key Tasks and Deliverables for the two DMM ToT Activities in MENA, and East and West Africa (Tunisia – April 2025, Ethiopia – June 2025):
• Presentation preparation and delivery: The experts will be responsible for preparing and delivering presentations on assigned topics, as designated by the Project Lead and Project Manager. These presentations will be delivered in person at both the Tunisia and Ethiopia events.
• Facilitation of discussions and exchange: During the DMM ToT activities, and in collaboration with the IIJ’s CT PHARE team and other external consultants, the experts will facilitate discussions, promote the exchange of good practices, and encourage interactive dialogue among participants.
• Documentation of discussions: The experts will be tasked with taking notes and summarising key discussions during assigned sessions, in coordination with the Project Lead and Project Manager.
• Post-Activity Report: Upon completion of the DMM ToT activities, the experts will submit a post-activity report, including their notes and key takeaways, using IIJ’s standard reporting template.
Consultant criteria and qualifications
• Proven experience in delivering Training of Trainers (ToT) activities focused on human rights and counter-terrorism topics.
• Expertise in using interactive training methods to enhance the learning experience, fostering participant engagement, and encouraging the sharing of best practices, tools, and challenges.
• Extensive experience working internationally with counter-terrorism practitioners (judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement), policymakers, and civil society organizations, with a focus on human rights and counter-terrorism issues.
• Strong familiarity with the MENA, East, and West Africa regions, including prior interactions and experience working within these areas.
Application Submission
All interested applicants meeting the qualifications should submit a cover letter and resume to the IIJ Executive Secretariat at hr@theiij.org clearly stating “CT PHARE_DMM-ToT2025” in the subject line. The deadline for submission is 28 February 2025.