Archive /
Justice Rapid Response deploys expert to support UN Commission of Inquiry for Guinea
UN Envoy Mr. Haile Menkerios briefs media on pending inquiry commission on Guinea
Justice Rapid Response (JRR) recently undertook its first deployment, assisting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in support of the International Commission of Inquiry for Guinea. JRR is a multilateral stand-by facility to deploy rapidly criminal justice and related professionals who have received international investigations and deployment training, and whose employers have previously agreed to make them available at very short notice. JRR participants receive training and certification from the Institute for International Criminal Investigations and the international non-profit organization No Peace Without Justice. While still newly operational, JRR currently includes 38 States and some 20 organizations from all over the world, resulting in a roster that will be fully representative of UN regional membership. JRR’s services, available to the UN network, the ICC, regional organizations and States, are designed to enhance the rapid deployability of investigations, commissions of inquiry, fact-finding and special political commissions, and to support mediators and security sector assessment teams.
The International Commission of Inquiry for Guinea, which was established by the United Nations Secretary-General in October 2009, was mandated to establish the facts and circumstances of the events of 28 September 2009 in Guinea and the related events in their immediate aftermath, qualify the crimes perpetrated, determine responsibilities, identify those responsible, where possible, and make recommendations. OHCHR was given the mandate for the Guinea mission, with a requirement for rapid deployment. Initial informal discussions between the OHCHR’s Rapid Deployment Mechanism and Guinea team leader, and the Coordinator of JRR Chair (Canada) led to the identification of an expert. With cooperation between the expert’s national authorities, JRR and OHCHR, the expert’s availability was able to be confirmed in just four days. She joined the Commission of Inquiry as an “Expert on Mission”.
The Commission of Inquiry undertook its investigations in Guinea from 15 November – 5 December and submitted its Report to the Secretary-General on 17 December 2009. The Report concluded that Guinea had violated several provisions of the international human rights conventions it has ratified, and that the crimes perpetrated on 28 September 2009 and in the immediate aftermath can be described as crimes against humanity (S/2009/693). The Secretary-General transmitted this Report to the Government of Guinea, the Security Council, the Commission of the African Union and the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States on 19 December 2009.
In post-deployment de-briefings, the following were discussed as “lessons learnt”:
For experts joining UN missions:
- The benefit of being prepared for the deployment, referring both to JRR’s extensive training for (both human rights and international justice) investigations and the thorough pre-deployment preparations undertaken by OHCHR;
- They should clearly understand their role on the team prior to deployment (terms of reference; reporting lines as well as primary and any secondary responsibilities within the mission);
- The extreme usefulness of advance information and briefings, especially information that can be provided off-site prior to departure by organizations with presence in the area of the mission;
For JRR:
- The need for having greater detail on experts’ qualifications to facilitate identifying the right professional quickly;
- The importance of having someone representing JRR who can assist the requesting entity, the expert and his or her employer in expediting the release of the expert for the deployment; and
- The need for training to emphasize investigations management, to enable experts to make quick, accurate decisions about the most effective and efficient way to pursue the investigation in the limited time and circumstances available.