Cooperation with other International Organisations

The Association has developed close links with associations and organisations that have similar objectives.

ABA - American Bar Association - The American Bar Association www.americanbar.org is the world’s largest voluntary professional organization, with nearly 400,000 members and more than 3,500 entities. It is committed to doing what only a national association of attorneys can do: serving our members, improving the legal profession, eliminating bias and enhancing diversity, and advancing the rule of law throughout the United States and around the world. Founded in 1878, the ABA is committed to supporting the legal profession with practical resources for legal professionals while improving the administration of justice, accrediting law schools, establishing model ethical codes, and more. Membership is open to lawyers, law students, and others interested in the law and the legal profession. The ABA national headquarters are in Chicago as well as a significant office in Washington D.C.

The Agreement to cooperate between The American Bar Association Section of Criminal Justice (SCJ) and the IAP dated 7 March 2014 can be accessed here.

AIDP/IAPL - The International Association of Penal Law (AIDP/IAPL) is the oldest whilst the most dynamic network of scholars and practitioners in the area of criminal law. Its field of work complements the activities of the International Association of Prosecutors as it studies the legal and comparative aspects of national and international criminal law. Membership is opened to all members of the IAP.

Founded in 1924, The International Association of Penal Law carries on the work undertaken by the International Union of Penal law founded in 1889. The AIDP numbers some 1,800 active members in 90 countries. Its goal is to bring together those persons who, in different countries, are dedicated to the study and application of penal law, and to promote the theoretical and practical development of international penal law. Download leaflet

COE -Council of Europe - The Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg (France), now covers virtually the entire European continent, with its 47 member countries. Founded on 5 May 1949 by 10 countries, the Council of Europe seeks to develop throughout Europe common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals. Recognising the essential role of the public prosecutor in the criminal justice system into a State of Law, the Committee of Ministers decided in July 2005 to institutionalise the CPGE through the creation of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) www.coe.int/CCPE This consultative body to the Committee of Ministers has in particular the task to prepare opinions for the Committee of Ministers on difficulties concerning the implementation of Recommendation Rec(2000)19, to promote the implementation of this recommendation, and to collect information about the functioning of prosecution services in Europe. The IAP is often granted observer status on Committees of Experts examining the role of the Public Prosecution.

COE - Cybercrime - The Council of Europe helps protect societies worldwide from the threat of cybercrime through the Convention on Cybercrime and its Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism, the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) and the technical cooperation Programme on Cybercrime. The Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe is the only binding international instrument on this issue. It serves as a guideline for any country developing comprehensive national legislation against Cybercrime and as a framework for international cooperation between State Parties to this treaty. The Convention is supplemented by a Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism committed through computer systems. The Convention (ETS 185) The Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism (ETS 189) See the Global Prosecutors E Crime Network (GPEN) on the IAP website.

Commonwealth Secretariat - The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 countries that support each other and work together towards shared goals in democracy and development. The Commonwealth www.thecommonwealth.org/ is home to two billion citizens of all faiths and ethnicities and includes some of the world's largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries. Over half of its citizens are 25 or under. Member countries come from six regions: Africa (19); Asia (8); the Americas (3); the Caribbean (10); Europe (3); and the South Pacific (11). Most recent members are: Rwanda - admitted at the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting; Cameroon; and Mozambique - the first country with no historical or administrative association to the Commonwealth to join. The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division (LCAD) facilitates cooperation among member countries in constitutional and international law, the development and administration of systems of justice, and in combating serious and transnational crime.

Comnet - Comnet is an international Foundation whose mission is to help realize the transformational potential of information and Communication Technologies(ICT) among Commonwealth and other developing countries. It is a lead agency responsible for the Commonwealth Governance Forum in which the IAP is also engaged. The IAP has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Comnet. See GPEN site.

The Memorandum of Understanding between The COMNET Foundation for ICT Development and The Global Prosecutors E-Crime Network (GPEN) of the IAP dated 21 June 2012 can be accessed here.

EJTN - European Judicial Training Network - EJTN’s mandate is to help build a genuine European area of justice and to promote knowledge of legal systems, thereby enhancing the understanding, confidence and cooperation between judges and prosecutors within EU states. Charged with this mandate, EJTN promotes training programmes with a genuine European dimension for members of the judiciary in Europe. This involves analysing and identifying training needs, designing programmes and methods for collaborative training, developing exchanges, and disseminating experiences in the field of judicial training, coordinating programmes and providing training expertise and know-how.

EJN - European Judicial Network - The Secretariat of the European Judicial Network (EJN) www.ejn-crimjust.europa.eu/ is situated within the Eurojust administration, functioning as a separate and autonomous unit. The European Judicial Network (EJN) is a network of national contact points for the facilitation of judicial co-operation in criminal matters.

Eurojust - Eurojust is a European Union body established in 2002 to stimulate and improve the co-ordination of investigations and prosecutions among the competent judicial authorities of the European Union Member States when they deal with serious cross-border and organised crime. n the context of investigations and prosecutions concerning two or more Member States, Eurojust's goal is to stimulate and improve the co-ordination between the national authorities, taking into account any request emanating from a competent authority of a Member State and any information provided by any body competent by virtue of provisions adopted within the framework of the Treaties (European Judicial Network, Europol, and OLAF). Another of Eurojust's objectives is to improve co-operation between the competent authorities, in particular by facilitating the execution of international mutual legal assistance and the implementation of European Arrest Warrants. Eurojust also supports the competent authorities in order to improve the effectiveness of investigations and prosecutions. Eurojust can assist investigations and prosecutions between a Member State and a non-Member State or a Member State and the Commission regarding criminal offences affecting the European Community's financial interests. Eurojust enhances the efficiency of the national investigating and prosecuting authorities when dealing with serious cross-border and organised crime, e.g. terrorism, trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking.

EU - European Union - European Union Criminal Justice features in the European Commission Agenda-promoting judicial cooperation in criminal matters and assistance to victims. The EU is defending individual rights to a fair trial: guaranteeing the right to information, translation and interpretation, access to a lawyer, and to contact their family and consulate when in another EU country.

Genocide Network - Genocide Network is a network of European Union (EU) countries’ contact points with a view to improving cooperation in combating genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.The Secretariat is housed with Eurojust.

GRECO - Group of States against corruption - The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) was established in 1999 by the Council of Europe to monitor States’ compliance with the organisation’s anti-corruptionstandards. GRECO’s objective is to improve the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with Council of Europe anti-corruption standards through a dynamic process of mutual evaluation and peer assessment. It helps to identify deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms. GRECO also provides a platform for the sharing of best practice in the prevention and detection of corruption.

IAACA - The International Association of Anti Corruption Authorities - The establishment of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) www.iaaca.org/ was initiated at the High-Level Political Conference for the Purpose of Signing the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Merida, Mexico in December 2003, and has since received enthusiastic support among the various anti-corruption authorities in many countries, as well as critical advice from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at Vienna. Currently the IAACA has more than 300 organizational members which cover nearly all law enforcement for national institutions and bodies entrusted with the task of fighting against corruption and more than 2000 individual members, including prosecutors, investigators and experts with experience in anti-corruption research or practice.

IBA - International Bar Association - The International Bar Association (IBA) established in 1947, is the world’s leading organisation of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. The IBA influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout the world. It has a membership of more than 45,000 individual lawyers and over 200 bar associations and law societies spanning all continents. It has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community. The IAP has been associated with the IBA Criminal law Committee, War Crimes Committee and the Human Rights Institute.

Ibero American Association of Public Prosecutors (AIMP) - AIAMP is a non-profit entity, which is part of the Iberoamerican Public Prosecutor’s Offices. It was founded in Brazil in 1954 as an Interamerican Association, which (after the incorporation of Spain and Portugal),became the Iberoamerican Association of Public Prosecutor’s Offices. AIAMP is aimed to strengthen mutual cooperation, solidarity and professional development relationships among the Iberoamerican Public Prosecutor’s Offices in order to build up common strategies that tallow them to face and improve the criminal prosecution.

ILAC - International Legal Assistance Consortium - The ILAC concept originated in the late 90s, when individuals representing NGOs, national governments, international organisations and academia, met to recommend ways to improve the international community’s approach to post-conflict justice and to judicial rehabilitation during a post-conflict period. The IAP is a member of the ILAC Council.

ICSPA - The International Cyber Security Protection Alliance - ICSPA is a global not-for-profit organisation established to channel funding, expertise and assistance directly to assist law enforcement cyber crime units in both domestic and international markets The mission of the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance is to enhance the online safety and security of business communities, by helping to deliver resources and expertise from the private sector to support both domestic and international law enforcement agencies and their governments, in their task of reducing harm from cyber crime. This will include raising public sector funding from Governments and Institutions that wish to help increase the capacity and capability of cyber crime units, whilst implementing measures to improve cyber resilience across Critical National Infrastructures in countries which face the greatest challenges.

ISRCL - International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law - The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law is an international non-governmental association of judges, legislators, lawyers, academics, and governmental officials who have come together to work actively on the administration of criminal justice both in their own jurisdiction and internationally In addition to encouraging members to develop their individual interests and, in turn, providing a network to enable others to support their interests, the Society encourages joint research and policy development among individuals and government bodies from different jurisdictions. Since its inception, the Society has demonstrated its dedication to the need to aid in the exploration of trans-national strategies to improve criminal law policy and legislation. Persons are invited to be members of the Society by the Board. Members are encouraged to nominate their colleagues for membership. Interested persons are invited to apply for membership. The Society's program of activities is determined by the members' needs and wishes. Each year, members are asked to forward suggestions for the program for the following two years. In December, the Board confirms the program for the following year and outlines plans for the subsequent year. Members are strongly encouraged to forward ideas and requests to the The Society operates an e-mail network amongst members. The network facilitates the instant exchange of information between members.

MEDEL - Magistrats européen pour la democratie et les libertes

ODIHR - The organization for democratic Institutions and Human Rights - ODIHR(The organization for democratic Institutions and Human Rights) The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is based in Warsaw, Poland. It is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and rule of law.

OSCE - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - With 56 States from Europe, Central Asia and North America, the OSCE www.osce.org is the world's largest regional security organization. It offers a forum for political negotiations and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, and puts the political will of its participating States into practice through its unique network of field missions. The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 56 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

OECD - Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development - An International organisation helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalised economy. The OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions is an important instrument.It establishes legally binding standards to criminalise bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions and provides for a host of related measures that make this effective. It is the first and only international anti-corruption instrument focused on the ‘supply side’ of the bribery transaction. The 34 OECD member countries and five non-member countries - Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Russia, and South Africa - have ad opted this Convention.

SEEPAG - the Southeast European Prosecutors Advisory Group - SEEPAG (the Southeast European Prosecutors Advisory Group) is an international mechanism of judicial cooperation, formed by the countries of the SEE region with an express intention of facilitating judicial cooperation in significant trans-border crime investigations and cases. This initiative recognizes that as trans-border crime transcends national borders, the strategy for combating it must have regional as well as national dimension. By improving upon the available facilities for mutual legal assistance, the SEEPAG seeks to significantly increase the capacity of individual states to suppress, investigate and prosecute serious trans-bordercrimes. The role of the SEEPAG involves two closely related but conceptually distinct functions. First, the SEEPAG is a network of experienced prosecutors who assist the SECI Center in operational matters and facilitate, to the greatest extent possible, the rapid exchange of information and evidence in trans-border investigations. By linking together a network of experienced prosecutors, the SEEPAG seeks to fill a critical gap in the region by promoting the timely exchange of information and evidence, whether through the proper execution of mutual legal assistance requests, or through more informal channels of information exchange. The SEEPAG’s second function is to provide guidance, assistance, and feedback to lawmakers in the region on justice and law enforcement issues. 

Special Tribunals and Courts - ICC - The office of the Prosecutor of the ICC(international Criminal Court) is an organisational member of the IAP.

Special Tribunals and Courts - ICTY - IAP has developed relationships with the offices of the Prosecutor of ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia.

Special Tribunals and Courts - ICTR - The IAP has developed relationships with ICTR (The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda).

Special Tribunals and Courts - STL - IAP has developed relationships with STL (Special Tribunal for Lebanon).

Special Tribunals and Courts - SCSL - IAP has developed relationships with SCSL (Special Court for Sierra Leone).

UN - United Nations - The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. Due to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the Organization can take action on a wide range of issues, and provide a forum for its 193 Member States to express their views, through the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies and committees. The IAP's creation owed a great deal to the support of the United Nations.in 2001 the IAP was granted Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

UN Special Rapporteur Independence Judges and Lawyers - In 1994, the Commission on Human Rights, in resolution noting both the increasing frequency of attacks on the independence of judges, lawyers and court officials and the link which exists between the weakening of safeguards for the judiciary and lawyers and the gravity and frequency of violations of human rights, decided to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. The Special Rapporteur acts on information submitted to his attention regarding alleged violations regarding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and the independence of the legal profession by sending allegation letters and urgent appeals to concerned Governments to clarify and/or bring to their attention these cases. The Special Rapporteur summarizes these communications as well as replies received from Governments in an annual report to the Human Rights Council in which he/she also comments on various country situations. See Individual Complaints (b) The Special Rapporteur conducts country visits upon the invitation of the Government. The Special Rapporteur submits a report of such visit to the Human Rights Council, presenting his findings, conclusions and recommendations. See Country Visits (c) Annually, the Special Rapporteur reports to the Human Rights Council about the activities undertaken during the year, highlighting important issues or areas of concern. The Special Rapporteur also reports annually to the General Assembly.

UNDP - The United Nations Development Programme - UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. UNDP helps countries strengthen electoral and legislative systems, improve access to justice and public administration and develop a greater capacity to deliver basic services to those most in need.The IAP often participates in justice related development work.

UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - NODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. Established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention, UNODC operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices. UNODC relies on voluntary contributions, mainly from Governments, for 90 per cent of its budget. UNODC is mandated to assist Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. In the Millennium Declaration, Member States also resolved to intensify efforts to fight transnational crime in all its dimensions, to redouble the efforts to implement the commitment to counter the world drug problem and to take concerted action against international terrorism. The three pillars of the UNODC work programme are: • Field-based technical cooperation projects to enhance the capacity of Member States to counteract illicit drugs, crime and terrorism • Research and analytical work to increase knowledge and understanding of drugs and crime issues and expand the evidence base for policy and operational decisions • Normative work to assist States in the ratification and implementation of the relevant international treaties, the development of domestic legislation on drugs, crime and terrorism, and the provision of secretariat and substantive services to the treaty-based and governing bodies In pursuing its objectives.

Venice Commission - The European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission, is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. Established in 1990, the commission has played a leading role in the adoption of constitutions that conform to the standards of Europe's constitutional heritage. It has no formal link to the IAP but several prominent members of the IAP have been or are members The work of the European Commission for Democracy through Law aims at upholding the three underlying principles of Europe's constitutional heritage: democracy, human rights and the rule of law - the cornerstones of the Council of Europe. It has adopted numerous advisory opinions,some of themcountry specific and some being general or comparative studies.They include a report on European standards as regards the independence of the judicial system,part 11 of which deals with the prosecution service (CPL-AD(2010)040) adopted 17-18 December 2010. The Council of Europe helps protect societies worldwide from the threat of cybercrime through the Convention on Cybercrime and its Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism, the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) and the technical cooperation Programme on Cybercrime. The Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe is the only binding international instrument on this issue. 

World Bank - Cooperation on a number of levels has existed. The IAP has become an ‘intellectual’ partner of the Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development (GFLJD).