Call for tenders – Consultancy services to produce a briefing paper on the law and practice of universal jurisdiction in South Africa

Project: “Global Initiative Against Impunity for International Crimes and Serious Human Rights Violations: Making Justice Work”, co-funded by the European Union

Tender reference number: UE4T_OT_008

Publication date: 16 October 2026

Deadline for submission of tenders: 15 November 2026, 00h00, CET

1. Background & Objective

TRIAL International is a non-governmental organisation that fights impunity for international crimes and supports victims in their pursuit of justice.

To support its activities, the organisation is seeking a consultant to collect information, analyse and draft, in English, a briefing paper on the law and practice of universal jurisdiction in South Africa. This briefing paper will be part of the Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice Briefing Papers series, already comprising of 12 reports comparing the legal systems of Argentina, Belgium, Canada, England and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. (a 13th, on Senegal, will be launched on 18 November 2026)

2. Scope of services

• Collect information through desk research and interviews on the legal framework and practice relevant to extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction in South Africa;
• Analyse and compile the information collected;
• Draft a report on “Universal Jurisdiction Law and Practice in South Africa”.

For further details, please refer to the attached Terms of Reference.

3. Timeline

• Deadline for submission of tenders: 15 November 2026, 00h00, CET
• Selection of consultant: 30 November 2026
• Expected start of services: December 2026
• Deadline for submission of draft briefing paper: Avril 2027
• Deadline for submission of final briefing paper: June 2027

4. Eligibility

Participation in this call for tenders is open to all qualified candidates, whether natural or legal persons, regardless of nationality or place of residence. However, all candidates must meet the criteria that can be found in the full call for tenders.

For the submission requirements and selection criteria, please see the full call for tenders.

Please find the terms of reference of the call here.