1. Background Information

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent international court established to investigate, prosecute and try individuals accused of committing crimes in the scope of the ICC’s jurisdiction. The ICC is composed of four organs. These are the Presidency, the Chambers, the Office of the Prosecutor and the Registry. The ICC Headquarters are based in The Hague, The Netherlands. The ICC has one Liaison Office in New York and maintains full-time physical presences in six situation countries, namely, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Ukraine. In total, the ICC has activities in relation to 17 countries globally. The ICC has circa 1,200 staff.

The Registry, headed by the Registrar, is responsible for nonjudicial aspects of the administration and servicing of the Court, without prejudice to the functions and powers of the Prosecutor. This includes providing management and judicial support services to the Court, as well as those aspects of external relations and field operations falling within the purview of the Registry.

Accordingly, the Registry is composed of three Divisions: 1) Division of Management Services, 2) Division of Judicial Services, and 3) Division of External Operations. Each Division is headed by a Director, and the three Directors, together with the Chief of Office, support the Registrar through the Registry Management Team (RMT) in ensuring that the Registry fulfils its tasks effectively and efficiently.

The Registry’s Legal Office (RLO) is directly under the authority of the Registrar.

The Immediate Office of the Registrar (IOR) supports the Registrar in setting the Registry’s strategic objectives, overseeing inter-organ relations as well as in enhancing internal communication for the whole Court  and driving the development of Court-wide policies.

The IOR is responsible for coordinating, and where required taking the lead in, the engagement with the Presidency, the OTP, the secretariats, and the other offices on matters of strategy and policy.

The IOR also acts as the operational focal point for the Registry’s Divisions, providing practical support to the Registrar with a view to ensuring, in a coordinated and effective manner, the overall managerial oversight and control of the Registry.

Given that the Registry is the largest and, in terms of its functions, most diverse organ of the Court, managerial and oversight functions are very important. In this regard, the IOR plays a key role in a number of areas, including the preparation of the Court’s budget, addressing staff related issues, facilitating the conclusion of agreements, and indeed in virtually all other fields of the Registry’s operations. At the same time, through the Registrar’s representational role, the IOR aims to widening the support for and the understanding of the mandate of the Registry and of the Court in the international arena.

1.  Purpose

The primary objectives of this consultancy are:

• Conduct a Court-wide  internal communications audit to assess existing internal communication practices, tools, channels, and messages.
• Develop a comprehensive internal communications strategy for the Court that aligns with the organization’s mission, vision, values and goals and aimed to increase engagement of internal stakeholders.
• Design internal communication tools and frameworks for internal stakeholders.
• Study and design a plan for internal digital engagement and assess current digital channels.
• Develop an implementation plan and training for in-house internal communications capacity, as needed.

1. Scope of Work

The Consultant will undertake the following tasks to achieve the set objectives:

• Review existing internal communication practices and policies and conduct an initial assessment of existing communication data, channels, tools and activities in place.
• Conduct interviews and consultations with key stakeholders, including Principals, staff members, the Staff Union Council and members of the Staff Wellbeing and Engagement Committee, as well as the main interlocutors of the IOR to understand the needs and have insights in the ICC.  
• Conduct a baseline assessment of any existing communication data, policy etc to ensure there is no duplication of materials and procedure.
• Develops an internal ICC communication strategy for the IOR to implement that outlines internal engagement, goals of the communications, target audience and appropriate channels.  
• Provide training and tools (e.g., resourcing, templates, guidelines) to ensure effective implementation of the strategy.
• If possible, monitor and evaluate the initial phases of the strategy's implementation and make adjustments as necessary.
• Prepare a detailed report outlining findings, analysis and recommendations

The consultant is expected to work closely with the IOR as well as consult widely with internal stakeholders to be identified by the IOR.

1. Expected Deliverables

The following are the expected assignment deliverables:

1. 1. 1. Internal communications Audit report – Summary of the findings from the assessment of the current internal communications tools and activities.
      2. Produce a draft and a final ICC Comprehensive Internal Communications Strategy: A strategy validation workshop with stakeholders and incorporate inputs. A final strategy document with tools, channels, policies and  an implementation plan
      3. Digital Internal Communications Plan (if required)
      4. Capacity resourcing and training workshop on strategy and tools to ensure Strategy’s implementation and sustainability

1. Duration

The Consultant is expected to complete the assignment and produce a final report within 60 working days from the date of signing the contract.

1. Reporting      

The consultant shall report to the Chief of Staff of the Registrar, and work in close collaboration with a number of relevant internal stakeholders.

1. Required Qualifications and Expertise:

1. Demonstrate prior experience in developing internal / corporate communication strategies, ideally in public international organisations and/or in public national services.
2. Have at least five (5) years of progressively advanced experience in internal / corporate strategic communications, which must include developing communications and advocacy strategies at the global, regional or national level.
3. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with experience in stakeholder engagement and consultation
4. Have excellent proven written and spoken English or French and strong oral and written communication skills.

1. Budget and Payment Terms: The Pro Bono services are preferred. Pre-approved travel costs and daily subsistence allowances will be based according to the rates established at the ICC. For Fees based services, the total price shall be in a fixed lump-sum amount, and milestone payments corresponding to outputs shall be indicated in the proposal. Payments under the contract will be output-based and will be made upon satisfactory completion of each milestone and finally upon the satisfactory completion of the assignment. The ICC general terms and conditions for consultants or procurement of services will be applied, based on the selected contract modality. Should the consultant be required to travel to the Netherlands, Pre-approved travel costs and daily subsistence allowances will be based according to the rates established at the ICC.

1. Submission of Proposals:  This opportunity is limited to individuals that would like to engage with the Court directly and is not extended to commercial companies. Interested consultants or Individual Service Providers are invited to submit their proposals, including a detailed methodology, work plan, timeline, budget, and CV(s) of the consultant(s), by 29 November 2024.