In a press statement issued today, the US embassy in Malta said that during the fourth ministerial meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in New York last week, Secretary John Kerry announced that the International Institute on Justice and the Rule of Law would be established in Malta and would begin operations in 2014.

“The United States, working closely with a number of international partners, including the European Union, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, France, Turkey, and The Netherlands, has been actively involved in developing the Institute’s mandate, structure, and curriculum. 

“Given its geographical location and political orientation, Malta offers an ideal location to establish this new centre and the United States is grateful for the Government of Malta’s willingness to host the Institute,” the embassy said.

The embassy said that once established, it will serve as a training centre dedicated to strengthening criminal justice and other rule of law institutions, promoting regional judicial and police cooperation, and fostering regional criminal justice practitioner networks to allow countries to provide justice, security, and liberty to their citizens, based on the respect for human rights and the rule of law.  

It will focus its training initially on interested countries in North, West, and East Africa, paying particular attention to training officials in countries in transition. 

It will provide parliamentarians, police, prosecutors, judges, prison officials, and other relevant criminal justice officials with rule of law-based training on the development and use of policies, good practices, and procedures so countries are more capable of safeguarding the security of their citizens from transnational threats such as terrorism.  

The training delivered at the Institute will be grounded in respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and support the implementation of the United Nations Global Counterterrorism Strategy, in particular Pillar IV of its Plan of Action, which underscores the critical role that an effective and rule of law-based national criminal justice system plays in ensuring that terrorists and their supporters are brought to justice in a manner that respects human rights.