Description of the assignment

1) Planned activities

The Expert shall work under the overall supervision of the Key Expert on Accountability for Core International Crimes and Pillar 2 Lead, and in close coordination with other Project experts and relevant beneficiary institutions.

Depending on the specific assignment and area of expertise, the Expert may be required to provide some or all of the following services:

A. Case development and review support

•  Provide expert advice and practical support to investigative and prosecutorial authorities in the development and review of cases concerning core international crimes.

•  Advise on the legal qualification of conduct under ICL and IHL, including the contextual and material elements of core international crimes.

•  Advise on case theory, evidentiary assessment, linkage evidence and modes of individual criminal responsibility, including ordering, planning, aiding and abetting, contribution to group crimes and superior/command responsibility.

•  Advise on investigative and prosecutorial strategies, including the prioritisation and selection of cases and the development of complex and leadership-level cases.

•  Advise on approaches to establishing patterns of criminal conduct and command structures.

B. Legal opinions, analytical notes and comparative studies

•  Prepare legal opinions, analytical notes, case assessments, comparative studies and other expert products on relevant issues of ICL, IHL and international human rights law and their application in domestic criminal proceedings.

•  Analyse relevant national and international jurisprudence and comparative practice, including the jurisprudence of international and hybrid criminal tribunals and relevant domestic courts.

•  Identify lessons and good practices applicable to the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of core international crimes in Ukraine.

•  Provide written responses to legal questions submitted by the Project or relevant beneficiary institutions.

C. Advisory support on evidentiary and procedural issues

•  Advise on evidentiary and procedural issues arising in complex international-crimes cases.

•  Advise on the collection, preservation, authentication, assessment and use of documentary, digital, open-source, testimonial and other forms of evidence.

•  Support the identification of practical solutions to complex or recurring evidentiary and procedural challenges.

D. Methodologies, standards and legal framework

•  Support the development and review of guidelines, methodologies, standard operating procedures, investigative and prosecutorial standards, practical tools and training materials.

•  Advise relevant justice-sector institutions on the development and alignment of the domestic legal and institutional framework governing core international crimes with applicable international law, relevant jurisprudence and recognised good practices.

•  Provide expert input into legislative and policy initiatives concerning accountability for core international crimes, including amendments to substantive and procedural criminal law, where requested.

E. Training and capacity development

•  Design and deliver training sessions, workshops, seminars, mentoring and other capacity-development activities on IHL, ICL and related procedural and evidentiary matters for investigators, prosecutors, judges and court staff, defence counsel and other relevant justice-sector professionals.

•  Prepare training agendas, presentations, case studies, practical exercises, legal materials and other training resources.

•  Facilitate discussions on the application of international legal standards and relevant jurisprudence in domestic proceedings.

F. Coordination, cooperation and analytical support

•  Participate, where required, in expert working groups, case-review groups, consultations and coordination mechanisms involving Ukrainian authorities, international experts and partner organisations.

•  Contribute to strengthening cooperation and knowledge exchange between investigative, prosecutorial and judicial actors, including the dissemination of lessons learned and good practices.

•  Contribute expert inputs to Project reports, studies, policy papers, recommendations, presentations and other outputs.

•  Comply with all applicable confidentiality, data-protection, security, ethics and conflict-of-interest requirements.

•  Perform other related tasks reasonably requested by the Project within the scope of the assignment.

2) Anticipated deliverables

3) Consultation

The Expert shall work under the overall supervision of the Key Expert on Accountability for Core International Crimes and Pillar 2 Lead.

The Expert shall maintain regular communication with the designated Project experts concerning the prioritisation and allocation of advisory, analytical and capacity-development tasks; the scope, methodology and expected outputs of expert products; cases, legal questions and factual materials requiring assessment; consultations with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and other relevant beneficiaries; the preparation and delivery of training, workshops and capacity-development activities; participation in working groups and coordination mechanisms; the submission, review and revision of deliverables; and any circumstances that may affect the quality, timeliness or impartiality of the assignment.

The Expert shall promptly communicate any potential conflict of interest, confidentiality concern or other circumstance that may affect the performance of the assignment.

4) Implementation period

Start date: October 2026

End date: June 2030

Effective duration of the assignment: 45 months

5) Place of performance

The assignment shall primarily be performed on a home-based basis. Frequent travel to and within Ukraine may be required, upon formal request by Expertise France and subject to applicable security and contractual arrangements.

Participation in meetings, consultations and other Project activities may take place in person or online, subject to prior agreement with the Programme Key Expert.

VI. Assignment reports

The expert shall provide periodic activity and progress reporting in accordance with the contractual modality and Programme procedures. This may include monthly or periodic progress reports and timesheets, as applicable, summarising work performed, tasks completed, documents prepared or reviewed, meetings and consultations attended, outputs produced, issues encountered and proposed next steps. All substantive deliverables shall be submitted to Expertise France for review and acceptance, and consolidated comments shall be addressed within the agreed timeframe.

VII. Monitoring-evaluation

Performance indicators

VIII. Practical information

The expert shall comply with all applicable Expertise France contractual, administrative, security, confidentiality, data-protection, ethics, conflict-of-interest and visibility requirements. Participation in travel, events or activities outside the normal place of performance shall be subject to prior approval and applicable Programme procedures.

The working language of the assignment is English. Deliverables shall be prepared in English, unless otherwise requested by the Key Expert; translation into Ukrainian may be arranged by the Project where required by the beneficiary. The level of effort includes preparation, meetings, consultations, analysis, drafting, presentations and revision of outputs.