News

Wildlife Justice Commission – report and webinar

The Wildlife Justice Commission’s (WJC) new report "Disruption and Disarray: An analysis of pangolin scale and ivory trafficking 2015–2024" has been published this week.  The report takes a deep dive into pangolin and ivory trafficking trends over the last decade —revealing a significant and sustained disruption in the flow of these products from Africa to Asia.  Drawing from seizure data, open-source research, and the WJC's own criminal intelligence and investigations, Disruption and Disarray paints a current and comprehensive picture of the pangolin and ivory trafficking landscape.  It also provides best practices and recommendations for law enforcement and policymakers to strengthen future efforts against wildlife trafficking, and will also be interesting for prosecutors. 

The findings of this report will be the focus of WJC’s presentation at their side event at the upcoming 34th CCPCJ “Harnessing the power of UNTOC against crimes that affect the environment: Lessons learned in disrupting pangolin and ivory trafficking networks” on Tuesday 20 May 16:30-17:30 CET at the Vienna International Centre in Austria.  The session will be taking place in hybrid format and so any IAP members who wish to attend remotely can register through this link: Webinar Registration - Zoom


 

Special Interest Sessions - Call for speakers and organisers - Singapore Annual Conference

The 30th Annual Conference and General Meeting of the IAP will take place in Singapore from 07-10 September 2025.

The theme for the conference is The Versatile Prosecutor and the Administration of Criminal Justice.

A Call for Speakers for the Plenary Sessions and Workshops has already been circulated.  Please find full details of the plenary sessions here: IAP-2025-Call-For-Speakers-(FINAL-14-Mar-2025).pdf.  Please also note the guidance on how to submit an abstract and details about what must be included in your submission on page 2 of the attached document.  The deadline for abstracts for the Plenary Sessions and Workshops is Friday 02 May 2025.  

The IAP and the Professional Programme Committee are now also inviting proposals from all IAP members who are interested in giving a presentation during the Special Interest Sessions of the conference to submit an abstract for consideration for inclusion in the programme by the Professional Programme Committee.  In addition, we are seeking Expressions of Interest from IAP members who would be interested in assisting to organise and chair one of the below Special Interest Sessions.

The Special Interest Sessions are on the following topics:
i.  Junior prosecutors:  The session topic is “The Ethical Tightrope – Navigating moral dilemmas and professional pressures as a junior prosecutor”.

ii.  Human trafficking:  In an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, this session will examine how law enforcement agencies and prosecutors can foster better cooperation across borders to combat trafficking in persons.

iii.  Trauma-informed justice – Safeguarding victims in legal proceedings:  The session topic is “How can law enforcement agencies and prosecutors protect victims’ wellbeing in legal proceedings without compromising the pursuit of justice?”.  Many victims of crime come to court in vulnerable and difficult circumstances.  However, the traditional adversarial nature of criminal legal proceedings often inflicts secondary trauma on victims through compelling them to recount past experiences during cross-examination.  There is a need to protect vulnerable victims (such as children and those with physical/mental conditions) as well as victims of sexual crimes.  How can prosecutors ensure that these victims are safeguarded?  Delegates are encouraged to discuss how this can be achieved (a) at a pre-trial level during investigations and witness interviews; (b) during court proceedings; and (c) with post-trial support options and intra-agency collaboration.

If you wish to be considered as a speaker for one of the above Special Interest Sessions, please submit a short proposal, in English, containing a description of the proposed presentation for consideration by the Professional Programme Committee.  Please specify which Special Interest Session you wish to participate in, and include full details of your name, job title and prosecuting agency.  Priority will be given to presentations that have a strong practical and operational focus, and presentations that include case examples are particularly welcome.  If selected, your presentation should last for no longer than 15 minutes.

If you wish to organise and chair one of the Special Interest Sessions, please send an email setting out a brief description of your experience in the relevant topic.

All proposals and Expressions of Interest should be sent to gc@iap-association.org.  The deadline is Friday 06 June 2025.

We look forward to receiving your abstracts and Expressions of Interest!

IAP Newsletter - April 2025

The newsletter, which has been distributed quarterly since September 1997, informs Association members about recent developments, provides details and reports about its annual and regional conferences and other conferences and seminars and gives updates on the domestic affairs of the Association.

No 96 - April 2025

• Message from the IAP President
• Secretary-General’s Editorial
• Theme articles: The prosecution of hate crimes
• Special Articles
• The 10th Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Conference of the IAP: Mongolia 
• The 59th Executive Committee Meeting of the IAP
• The IAP signs an MoU with the Prosecution Service of Buenos Aires to formally establish an IAP Regional Office in Latin America
• IAP participation in global events
• The 30th Annual Conference and General Meeting of the IAP, Singapore 
• The IAP Cybercrime Network
• Message from the General Counsel
• Upcoming IAP Global Training Academy webinars 
• Previous IAP Global Training Academy webinar recordings 
• Call for newsletter articles and webinar topics 
• Editorial Board and IAP staff and contact information

IAP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON SANCTIONS AGAINST THE PROSECUTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT 

The International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) is the only worldwide organisation of prosecutors, prosecuting authorities and associations. It covers six continents and over 175 jurisdictions and represents thousands of prosecutors. The IAP is a non-political and non-governmental organisation. It is committed to upholding the rights of prosecutors and their organisations, to ensuring that prosecutorial standards are upheld, and to promoting the rule of law, fairness and respect for human rights.

The IAP is committed to upholding the principle of prosecutorial independence, which is an integral part of the rule of law. If States compromise the independence of prosecutors, the integrity of the criminal justice system is also compromised.

The IAP expresses deep concern regarding the Executive Order issued by the President of the United States on February 6, 2025, imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials for enforcement action arising out of the Gaza situation. It has resulted in the inclusion of Mr Khan KC (and his immediate family) on the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.

The Prosecutor of the ICC acts within the jurisdiction conferred by the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding treaty, to which 125 countries are States Parties. 

The ICC Prosecutor operates independently, and only investigates cases within the ICC's jurisdiction. Like other ICC officials, the ICC Prosecutor is appointed on the basis of experience and character.

The IAP respectfully urges the United States to uphold prosecutorial safeguards under international law and reconsider measures that may undermine judicial independence.

Call for articles for the IAP newsletter - July edition - deadline 20 June

Regional Conference - Mongolia - discounted registration rate for speakers

Discounted registration rate for speakers

The 10th Eastern Europe & Central Asia Regional Conference of the IAP will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 04-06 June 2025.  The theme for the conference is The Evolving Role of the Prosecutor:  Challenges and Best Practice in Tackling Cybercrime. 

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Mongolia is offering a discounted rate on the registration fee for all speakers at the conference.  The registration rate for speakers is 100 Euros rather than the general rate of 400 Euros.  

If you are interested in applying to deliver a presentation during the plenary sessions of the conference, please submit an abstract by Friday 25 April 2025.  Full details of the plenary sessions and details of the information that must be included in your abstract can be found here: Call for Speakers

Proposals must be submitted to iap2025mgl@prosecutor.mn and iap2025mgl@gmail.com.  

If your abstract is selected for inclusion in the conference, you will be provided with a code to enable you to register for the conference at the discounted rate. 

We look forward to receiving your abstracts!