Matthew Odu Una joined the IIJ as a Programme Manager in 2025. His current work involves designing and implementing programs for counter-terrorism practitioners and policymakers across Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific, and beyond. Before joining the IIJ, he worked as a counter-terrorism and atrocity crimes prosecutor at the Complex Casework Group (CCG) of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria. He also served as a Special Prosecutor to the Federal Government of Nigeria during his first decade as a private legal practitioner. At the international level, he served as an External Legal Expert at the Office of the Legal Advisor (OLA) of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He also held various roles with the International Criminal Court (ICC), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Wayamo Foundation, and others, serving as a focal person, Expert Working Group Member, and speaker on different subjects of international law.

He is an alumnus of the IIJ and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Benue State University in Nigeria with a focus on the Law of International Institutions and Treaty Law. He brings over 22 years of professional experience as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. His expertise includes the prosecution of complex criminal cases and the provision of technical support to justice sector institutions.

Mr. Una contributes to regional and international cooperation by supporting cross-border dialogue, knowledge exchange, and the dissemination of good practices among criminal justice stakeholders. He has co-authored an article; The Tide Turns: the Prosecution of SGBV Crimes as a Terrorist Offence in Nigeria, published by the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), The Hague, contributing to evidence-based policy and practitioner-focused research in the field of counter-terrorism. 

Julien joined the IIJ as a Programme Manager in 2025. He previously served as Programme Manager at the French Ministry of Justice, where he led international partnerships and policy development on preventing and countering violent radicalisation and terrorism in prisons. He also delivered trainings to magistrates and police commissioners, mainly in France and West Africa. Julien is currently Co-leader of the Prisons Rehabilitation and Reintegration Thematic Panel at the EU Knowledge Hub, where he contributes to the design of strategic roadmaps, recommendations, and best practices at the European level. He holds Master’s degrees in International Relations from Sciences Po Lyon and in Armed Conflict from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and studied in Paris, Washington D.C, and Cairo.

Julien joined the IIJ as a Programme Manager in 2024. Prior to joining the IIJ, Julien worked with Hedayah where he was leading the implementation of P/CVE capacity building programmes for government and non-government stakeholders in North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. His work focused on disengagement, rehabilitation, and reintegration of terrorist fighters and their family members, preventing youth radicalization and multi-agency collaboration. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from Sciences Po Lille in France.

Ikram joined the IIJ in August 2023 as the Programme Manager for the Academic Unit. She is an experienced Programme Manager specialising in international programme management and operations. Prior to joining the IIJ, Ikram worked as Programme Manager for the UK Embassy, she oversaw the Counter-Terrorism capacity-building programme in Libya. Before her work with the UK Embassy, she worked for humanitarian organizations in North Africa, where she assessed complex humanitarian and migration crises.

Nathalie joined the IIJ as a Programme Manager in 2022. She is a French lawyer by training who has served as a human rights and rule of law specialist for the past 15 years. She managed technical assistance projects and research initiatives on criminal justice reform, judicial independence, and access to justice in South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas within various intergovernmental organizations. From 2020 to 2021, Nathalie was a Legal Officer at the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia. Nathalie holds a Master’s degree in public international law from Université Paris Nanterre and an LL.M. in International Human Rights Protection from Washington College of Law. She is currently enrolled in a PhD program in law and behavioural science at the University of Hamburg and was elected staff representative at OSCE/ODIHR for two terms (2014-2017).

Francesca joined the IIJ as a Project Manager for CT PHARE – Platform for Human Rights Engagement in 2022. Prior to joining the IIJ, Francesca worked for Médecins du Monde in Italy as the Advocacy Officer, with a special focus on the access to health for migrants and asylum seekers rescued at sea and/or crossing borders. She also worked with the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria. Francesca holds a postgraduate diploma in International Law and Transitional Justice from the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University, and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Development from Sapienza University in Rome.