United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The UNODC Regional Office in East Africa (ROEA)

Training of trainers: Enhancing expertise in the criminal justice system in Ethiopia 

Bishoftu (Ethiopia), 12 April 2021 - UNODC partnered with key training institutes and academies in Ethiopia to deliver 3 weeks of trainings to 77 personnel (57 men/20 women) who train prison wardens, police officers, and prosecution personnel, in order to sustain capacities in the criminal justice system.

Institutions that benefitted from the training included the Police University, the Prisons Commissions Training Centre and the Justice Professionals Training and Legal Research Institute at the federal and regional levels. The trainers will replicate the training content to a larger group of participants within their respective institutions. UNODC guides and practical tools were shared with the identified trainers to help them organize and facilitate participatory training sessions.

“These trainings are built on key findings of a training needs assessment conducted during the second half of 2020 and validated during a stakeholder’s consultation in February 2021. The assessment addressed the training needs of key criminal justice and law enforcement organs in Ethiopia to support the delivery of quality and effective investigation, prosecution and custodial services in the short to medium term” explained Ms. Margaret Akullo, UNODC Representative a.i. in Ethiopia at the opening of the training workshop.

Key knowledge areas covered included evidence management, child justice, human rights-based practices, addressing gender norms and raising awareness on gender-sensitive best practices. “One of our objectives is to reduce secondary victimization, responding more effectively to gender-based violence and promoting gender-responsive non-custodial measures” shared Mr. Ermiyas Kostre, UNODC Programme advisor and trainer.

Apart from UNODC trainers, participants benefitted from inputs of various local partners and counterparts, including experts form the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, the Supreme Court Child Justice Office, the Office of the Attorney General and the Federal Prison Commission.

This training is part of a long-term plan to support law enforcement and criminal justice institutions in Ethiopia. This training will be followed by a joint training for police, prosecutors and prison officials with a focus on strengthening inter-agency coordination and building on the skills participants have developed. Participants were also introduced to the UNODC Global e-learning modules and a second round of trainings later this year will specifically focus on online courses. 

In parallel to these training courses, UNODC is procuring ICT equipment and materials that will be installed with the aim of enhancing the online capabilities of all the targeted institutions.

These activities are supported by the Government of Japan under the project Supporting Transformation, Peace and Security in the Horn of Africa.