Rule of Law and Judicial Cooperation

Course description

International judicial cooperation has become a critical tool in addressing transnational crimes and ensuring effective justice administration in an increasingly interconnected world. From money laundering and terrorism financing to human trafficking, cybercrime, and corruption, criminal activities today transcend borders and require coordinated legal responses. Despite the existence of international conventions and regional frameworks, effective judicial cooperation requires knowledge and trust in an equal partnership funded on the fundamental principle of the UN Charter, including the respect for state sovereignty, self-determination, and the protection of human rights.  

The Project “Rule of Law and Judicial Cooperation” allows Italian and African experts to meet and share best practices and common challenges to facilitate cross-border cooperation on several core topics, with the common aim of promoting equitable justice, upholding the rule of law, and enhancing international collaboration in the spirit of decolonization. It responds to that need by providing participants with a conceptual grounding and practical understanding of international judicial cooperation, equipping them with knowledge, skills, and comparative insights to strengthen national and regional justice systems.

The project  is funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and implemented by Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in collaboration with the Ministries of Justice and/or the National Schools of Administration and Magistracy/Judiciary of the participating countries, alongside the Embassies and Consulates of Italy. 

In 2025, the project was implemented with 13 workshops:

• “Cybercrime”, N’Djamena (Chad), November 2025

• “Drug trafficking”, Libreville (Gabon), November 2025

• “International judicial cooperation”, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), February 2025

• “Extradition as an effective method of judicial cooperation”, Libreville (Gabon), August 2025

• “The application of international law by local judges”, Dakar (Senegal), July 2025

• “Investigation techniques for terrorism and cross-border crimes”, Niamey (Niger), June 2025

• “Alternatives to detention”, Niamey (Niger), May 2025

• “International judicial cooperation”, Accra (Ghana), May 2025

• “International judicial cooperation in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing”, Yaoundé (Cameroon), May 2025

• “Organised crime and human trafficking”, Brazzaville (Congo), April 2025

• “Judges and technology”, Dakar (Senegal), April 2025

• “International judicial cooperation”, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), February 2025

• “International crimes”, N’Djamena (Chad), December 2025

Course target

For each workshop, the local counterpart selects 20/30 judges and prosecutors.

Training objectives 

The core idea behind the project is to facilitate the encounter and exchange of best practices between local and international experts of judicial cooperation in criminal matters. We select Italian practitioners and coordinate their 3 to 4 days of dialogue with their African colleagues towards the common aim of tackling transnational organized crimes.

Teaching methods

Interactive, with group work, discussions, and role play in French and in English.

Course programme

Based on the request by the local partner, we coordinate workshops on several topics:

• Introduction to International Judicial Cooperation

• The protection of human rights

• Rule of law and judicial independence

• Alternative detention measures

• Cybercrimes

• Justice and new tecnologies

• Human trafficking

• International crimes

• Money laundering

• Terrorism

• Techniques of investigation

• Extradition

• Drug trafficking

• Environmental crimes

• The protection of cultural heritage

Attendance certificate

An attendance certificate is provided at the end of each training.