Disarmament in Review
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in cooperation with the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI), organized a training course on ‘Investigative Interview Skills’ for the United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (UNSGM), from 26-30 May in Brindisi, Italy.
The objective of the course was to provide a group of qualified experts nominated by Member States to the UNSGM roster with a better understanding of interview management techniques in the context of a UNSGM investigation. Training elements included both theoretical lessons and role-play exercises to practice the related skills, which were delivered by IICI trainers.
This was the second ‘Investigative Interview Skills’ course organized with IICI for qualified experts nominated by Member States to the UNSGM roster, and a group of 17 experts from 17 countries joined the course in May. To start, UNODA provided an overview from the UNSGM Guidelines & Procedures of interviews within the context of a potential UNSGM investigation, as well as a review of some of the challenges that may be encountered. Then, IICI instructors led participants through lectures and practical exercises on several elements of investigative interviews, including approaching and managing different kinds of witnesses, working with interpreters and intermediaries, and interview planning, note-taking, and write-ups.
This skill training course provided the invited experts with an improved understanding of the role, processes, and potential challenges of conducting interviews as part of international investigative mission. Given the importance of interviews for a potential UNSGM investigation, these are elements that will be critical for qualified experts to understand should they be deployed as part of a UNSGM team. As such, UNODA is very appreciative for the cooperation extended by IICI in developing and implementing this course on investigative interview skills tailored for the UNSGM context. In addition to the support provided by IICI, financial support for the workshop was generously provided by the Government of Canada.
For more information, please contact the UNODA team in support of the UNSGM at UNSGM@un.org.
