Deadline for submissions: 19 October 2025
The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) is an independent body that ensures that all personal data processed through INTERPOL’S channels conforms to the rules of the Organization.
The Committee on the Processing of Data (CPD) is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on INTERPOL’s processing of data to promote international police cooperation and prevent and suppress ordinary law crimes, in accordance with Article 2 of the Organization’s Constitution. It is a standing committee of INTERPOL’s General Assembly and meets at least once a year.
The CPD has recently launched a process to review the Statute of the CCF that defines its work. To that end, the CPD is seeking contributions from civil society concerning selected topics related to the work of the CCF and the CCF Statute.
In the context of this review, the CPD requested that the General Secretariat solicit contributions from civil society on the first two topics and present the outcomes. The General Secretariat launched a call for contributions via a dedicated webpage on 19 March 2025. The input provided by civil society was taken into consideration and, where appropriate, reflected in the proposals for amendments that were presented to and discussed by the CPD.
In preparation for its next meeting in December 2025, the CPD intends to engage civil society once again on all topics related to the review of the CCF Statute that will be addressed.
Topics
This second call for contributions is addressed to interested representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academia and the legal sector from INTERPOL’s member countries, with existing working relations with the CCF or recognized expertise on CCF related matters.
They are invited to submit their input on one or all the following three areas currently being considered by the CPD:
1. Experts (Article 22 of the CCF Statute)
Article 22 of the CCF Statute gives the possibility for the CCF to entrust any individual or body with recognized expertise with the task of providing expert advice on specific topics or questions relevant to its work. Within this framework, the CPD will discuss a proposal to have a pool or list of experts whom the CCF could approach to provide specialized expertise on a specific technical or legal topic or question.
2. Selection of candidates for CCF membership (Articles 8 and 9 of the CCF Statute)
The next elections for the members of the CCF are scheduled to take place during the 2026 General Assembly session. Articles 8 and 9 of the CCF Statute outline the eligibility criteria and the nomination and selection procedure for candidates, respectively. While at its upcoming session in December 2025, the CPD does not intend to engage in discussion on proposed amendments of these articles, the CPD is interested in gathering input from civil society on the broader themes and issues related to the CCF elections. In this context, contributors are invited to share suggestions on how to promote transparency, accountability, and effectiveness in the CCF selection process, which can be reviewed and considered by the CPD as part of its ongoing efforts to support the work of the CCF.
3. The CCF Secretariat (Article 15(3) of the CCF Statute)
The functions of the Secretariat of the CCF are currently described under Article 15(3) of the CCF Statute. According to this article, the Secretariat shall assist the Commission in effectively carrying out its functions under the CCF Statute. As part of this role, the Secretariat is customarily tasked by the CCF to address communications to the parties to the case (NCBs and applicants) when examining requests. The purpose of this item is to discuss whether this task shall be incorporated in the CCF Statute.
The above topics are currently the only ones for which members of civil society are invited contribute.
Calls for additional contributions on other topics related to the work of CCF and its legal framework, including new topics that may be proposed by civil society, will be launched in the future.
Criteria and process for submitting a contribution
Contributions are welcomed from interested parties, except from individuals who currently have pending application before the CCF [Note: lawyers representing such individuals before the CCF may submit contributions).
Interested individuals representing national agencies, ministries or any other governmental entities should submit their contribution through their country’s National Central Bureau.
Contributions should be made using the Contribution form below and can be submitted in one of our official languages: English, French, Spanish or Arabic.
The submission of a contribution will not confer any status, whether participatory or consultative, on the contributor vis-à-vis INTERPOL.
Contributions should not exceed 10,000 characters per topic with only one contribution per topic per contributor. They should not mention specific cases or countries, nor any political statements, and should not contain inappropriate language.
The deadline for submissions is 19 October 2025.
The form should be sent to the email indicated in it.
In the event of a technical issue when submitting your contribution in the designated space on the form, you may attach a file containing your contribution, provided that the content remains within the specified character limit per topic.
Any contribution that does not meet the required criteria will not be taken into consideration.
How input will be used
Relevant contributions will be first reviewed by INTERPOL’s General Secretariat and shared with the CCF. If the General Secretariat deems that the submissions meet the criteria and are relevant, they will be shared with the CPD for its consideration. INTERPOL is not obliged to accept any suggestion put forward in any contribution received. The contributions will not be published on INTERPOL’s website and only an acknowledgment of receipt will be sent. No further engagement or dialogue with INTERPOL should be expected, although INTERPOL will strive to provide at a later stage an update on relevant developments concerning the topics to which contributions were submitted.
Neutrality of INTERPOL
INTERPOL's Constitution explicitly forbids INTERPOL from engaging in matters of political, military, religious and racial character. Any contributions that would require INTERPOL to engage in such matters will be excluded.
