Consultancy Services / Development of a Risk Management Framework

Background and context

The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established by the Rome Statute in 1998 and became effective with a resolution of the Rome Statute’s Assembly of States Parties (ASP) in 2002. Operations in the field started in 2007.

As the operations of the TFV are becoming more complex and diverse, the External Auditors have recommended that the TFV management “receives sufficient assurance on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Fund’s framework of governance, risk management and control.”

The TFV therefore intends to develop a comprehensive risk management framework, to become effective in the second quarter of 2013.

As one of the institutions emanating from the Rome Statute, the TFV is governed by a Board of Directors. Members of the Board are elected by the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, in their personal capacities and on a pro bono basis, for a period of three years.  The TFV Board is supported by a Secretariat which ensures the daily management of the TFV’s operations. The cost of the TFV Secretariat is included as a separate programme in the ICC’s budget, which is funded by the assessed contributions of States Parties.

The TFV has been endowed with a twin set of mandates: (i) implementation of Court-ordered reparations awards to victims, and (ii) providing physical and psycho-social rehabilitation and/or material support to victims within the jurisdiction of the ICC.

The TFV does not dispose of a separate legal identity and operates within the framework of the ICC’s Financial Rules and Regulations. The ICC Registry provides administrative support to the TFV in various domains, including financial control, procurement, human resource management, travel and IT. The Registrar acts in an advisory capacity towards the TFV Board.

The funding of TFV activities is ensured by voluntary contributions, which may come from public as well as private sources, as well as by fines and forfeitures ordered by the ICC against convicted persons for the purpose of reparations. To date, the major part of TFV revenue has come from voluntary contributions by States Parties.

The TFV operates within the framework of a Strategic Plan, covering the period 2009-2012. A new Strategic Plan will be developed in 2013. The TFV risk management framework should contribute to the development of the new Strategic Plan.

Purpose of the assignment

The purpose of the assignment will be to develop and propose a comprehensive risk management framework, which addresses the identification and mitigation of risk at the institutional, situational and operational levels.

The assignment should adopt a consultative approach, engaging with various stakeholders, including the ICC’s Registry, relevant to the TFV’s managerial and operational processes

The assignment should consider best practices in risk management of international multi-donor trust funds, as may be encountered with international financial institutions (e.g., World Bank) and UN organisations. The assignment may also consider appropriate corporate risk management practices.

The proposed risk management framework shall reflect the particular nature of the TFV as an emerging, unprecedented institution in the domain of international criminal justice.

Time frame of the assignment

The proposed risk management framework will be considered for review and adoption by the TFV Board at its next Annual Meeting in March 2013. For this purpose, the assignment should be concluded by mid-February 2013.

Criteria for selection

Applicants can be a firm or a group of skilled experts, who stand in no direct or indirect relationship to the TFV. The proposed team shall have demonstrable experience in assessing and mitigating risk of international multi-donor trust funds, including the development of a comprehensive risk management framework. The team should include experts able to work in English and French.