Consultancy - Developping a guidance document on the implementation of the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering (Méndez Principles)

The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) is hiring a consultant to develop a practical guidance document to support States and relevant stakeholders in implementing the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering (Méndez Principles).  The consultancy will take place from 1 September to 30 November 2025, for a total of 22 working days.

1.    About the APT

The APT (www.apt.ch) works for societies without torture and ill-treatment. Established in 1977, we helped establish a global system to prevent torture and ill-treatment by increasing transparency in all places where people are deprived of their liberty under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and other instruments.

APT’s vision: Societies without torture or ill-treatment.

APT’s mission:

·   Influencing national, regional and international legal frameworks, standards, policies and practices to reduce risks of torture and ill-treatment;

·   Supporting partners’ efforts to advance torture prevention, and contributing our respective expertise and resources to maximise impact;

·   Bringing people together in constructive dialogue to build support for torture prevention and identify practical solutions.

2.    About the Méndez Principles

The Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering (also known as the Méndez Principles), finalised in May 2021, were developed by a Steering Committee of Experts, with the support of the APT, the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights and the Anti-Torture Initiative of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law.

The Méndez Principles:

• Support law enforcement officials and investigative bodies to shift from ineffective interrogation practices to rapport-based interviews, that help them collect accurate and reliable information.
• Strengthen the rule of law by ensuring strong safeguards are implemented in practice, from the time a person is detained or questioned.
• Exclude torture-tainted evidence and false confessions;
• Help uphold the integrity of criminal justice processes and the effective administration of justice;
• Increase public trust in, and foster cooperation with, criminal justice institutions;
• Contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 16.3 - to promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

Effective investigations prevent and respond to crime while upholding fundamental rights. Practices such as coercive interrogations and forced confessions undermine effective investigations and can compromise access to justice and lead to miscarriages of justice. They also place people being questioned at risk of torture or ill-treatment.

The Méndez Principles are currently available in 17 languages at www.interviewingprinciples.com.

3.    Purpose and objectives of the consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a practical guidance document to support States and relevant stakeholders in implementing the Méndez Principles. The guidance will be adaptable to diverse national contexts and provide a roadmap for integrating the Principles into law, policy and practice.

Specifically, the guidance document will:

• Clarify the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders (e.g., policy-makers, law enforcement/police, judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals,  oversight bodies);
• Outline concrete steps for translating the Principles into practice;
• Present challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations to overcome barriers to implementation.

This initiative contributes to the implementation of Strategic Goal No. 2 of APT’s Strategic Plan 2025–2028 and aims to encourage broader engagement on the Méndez Principles among States, law enforcement and justice sector actors, oversight bodies, and other relevant stakeholders.
 

4.    Scope of the consultancy

Duration

The consultancy will take place from 1 September to 30 November 2025, for a total of 22 working days.

Scope of Work

The consultant will draft the guidance document as a deliverable.

5.    Methodology

The consultant will adopt a participatory and evidence-based approach, combining:

• Desk review of relevant documentation;
• Interviews and discussions with APT staff and key stakeholders;
• Confidential handling of all data and interview content, in line with professional and ethical standards.

All documentation will be reviewed in English.

6.    Budget and Support from APT

The consultancy is allocated a total budget of EUR 12,000, inclusive of consultancy fees and any related expenses (e.g. interview or communication costs).

APT will provide:

• Background documents on the Méndez Principles and related strategy;
• Assistance with the identification of list of key stakeholders and contacts for interviews, ensuring they are informed and have consented to participate;
• A designated focal point within APT staff and support from other staff as needed.

7.    Expected deliverables and timeframe

The following outputs are expected to be delivered by the consultant:

8. Qualifications of the consultant

The consultant should have the following qualifications and competencies:

·   Proven record in working in the field of international human rights, criminal justice, policing and the rule of law;

·  Experience in non-coercive, rapport-based interviewing methods and legal and procedural safeguards an asset;

·   Knowledge of, and experience in drafting official documents and publications;

·   Ability to write texts of high quality in English;

·   Knowledge about or experience of torture prevention work, across different regions of the world;

·   Independence and absence of conflict of interests.

9.    Submission and selection  process

Applicants shall submit the following documents by 4 July 2025 CoB, to jobs@apt.ch with “Méndez Principles consultancy” in the title of their email:

·       Cover letter (max. 1 page) demonstrating how the consultant(s) previous experiences of comparable projects but also their knowledge and expertise fit well with this assignment;

·       CV, including references to licences, certifications, accreditations, etc.

·       1 example at least of a comparable assignment carried out within the last 3 years;

·       Contact details of 2 references expected to support claims of knowledge, skills and experience;

For any questions, please contact Ms. Laurence Pavia, APT Administration and Human Resources Manager, at jobs@apt.ch . Questions after July 3, 2025 will not be answered.

The selection of the consultant(s) will be decided during July 2025, through online interviews, with the contract expected to be signed the week following communication of the decision to the successful applicant. The consultancy will commence on 1 September 2025.