CTI Core States

What CTI Core States does

CTI (Convention against Torture Initiative) Core States is a Geneva-based inter-governmental initiative founded in 2014 and led by seven Core State governments — The Bahamas, Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia and Morocco. Its mandate is to promote universal ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT). CTI's core service is technical assistance and capacity building for governments: confidential one-to-one diplomatic support, country visits, Geneva study visits, regional workshops, legislative reviews, cabinet paper drafting, and peer-to-peer exchange on anti-torture reform. These services are delivered free of charge to governments and are funded through Core State contributions and partner support (notably from OHCHR).

The core product surface is a suite of multilingual, legally vetted intellectual-property resources rather than software: the Police Resource Toolkit (20+ resource notes), ten UNCAT Implementation Tools, the APT-CTI Guide on anti-torture legislation, the Ratification Toolkit, UNCAT Essentials, animated explainer videos, and a searchable publications database. Materials are translated into Arabic, English, French, Indonesian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. CTI operates from a small Secretariat (1-10 staff) at Maison de la Paix in Geneva, with execution heavily leveraging the diplomatic machinery of Core State ambassadors and a partner ecosystem (APT, OHCHR, DIGNITY, SUHAKAM, NCHR, CogJus, OECS, OHCHR CARICOM, UNODC).

Quantified traction since launch: 22 new UNCAT ratifications supported (lifting total State parties to 176 / approximately 90% of UN member states), nearly two-thirds of UNCAT ratifications over the past 20 years occurring during CTI's lifetime, and 2025 engagement reaching over 35 States across the Annual Forum, Santiago workshop (16 Latin American/Caribbean countries), Malaysia accession dialogue, and Eastern Caribbean capacity building events. Revenue is not commercially generated; the operating model is that of a donor-funded, peer-to-peer inter-governmental mechanism whose "customers" are governments and whose "products" are disseminated free of charge.

Name

CTI Core States

Legal name

Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI)

Website

https://cti.international

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CTI Core States is a Geneva-based inter-governmental initiative, led by seven Core States, that provides free technical assistance, capacity building, and toolkits to help governments ratify and implement the UN Convention against Torture, with 22 supported ratifications since 2014 reaching 176 State parties (90% of UN member states).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Human Rights Treaty Capacity Building

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Human rights treaty support
• Anti-torture capacity building
• UNCAT implementation
• Torture prevention training
• Intergovernmental initiative

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Technical Assistance Services: CTI provides bespoke workshops, training tools, and one-to-one technical support to governments on ratification and implementation of UNCAT. Services are provided free of charge to governments, funded through core state contributions and partnerships.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CTI Core States is an intergovernmental initiative that supports States in ratifying and implementing the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT) through advocacy toolkits, ratification and implementation guides, training materials, country visits, and Geneva study visits. It is led by seven Core States (The Bahamas, Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, and Morocco) with a Secretariat headquartered in Geneva, and provides all resources free of charge to beneficiary governments.

Product overview

CTI (Convention against Torture Initiative) is a human rights initiative led by seven Core States (The Bahamas, Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, and Morocco) focused on promoting universal ratification and implementation of the UN Convention against Torture (UNCAT). CTI offers a comprehensive suite of resources including: the Police Resource Toolkit with over 20 resource notes covering various aspects of human rights-compliant policing; ten UNCAT Implementation Tools covering state strategies, safeguards, reporting, non-refoulement, rehabilitation, extradition, complaints, exclusionary rules, positive discipline, and medical assessments; a Ratification Toolkit with supporting annexes; Legislative Guides including the APT-CTI Guide on anti-torture legislation; UNCAT Essentials with treaty texts and explainers; multimedia content including animated films and survivor testimony videos; and a publications database searchable by topic, year, region and language. All resources are available free of charge in multiple languages to support governments worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy Toolkit for UNCAT Ratification and Implementation A resource package providing governments with practical guidance, model legislation, and procedural advice to support ratification or domestic implementation of the UN Convention against Torture.
• Training Materials on UNCAT Obligations Structured training curricula and workshop materials designed to build the knowledge and capacity of government officials, national institutions, and civil society actors on UNCAT obligations and torture prevention.
• Country Visit Programme Bespoke in-country engagements coordinated by CTI to provide tailored technical assistance, peer learning, and diplomatic engagement to governments working on torture prevention and treaty implementation.
• Geneva Study Visit Programme Geneva-based study visits that bring government delegations to the UN human rights system to deepen their understanding of UNCAT, related treaty body mechanisms, and obligations under international human rights law.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 new ratifications supported since CTI's launch in 2014, bringing total to 176 State parties (90% of UN member states)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ChilecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the Undersecretariat for Human Rights, partnered with CTI for the online follow-up to the Santiago workshop on police detention safeguards.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ChilecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Government of Chile, a CTI Core State, hosted the regional workshop on preventing torture in police detention in Santiago, October 2025. Chile's Undersecretariat for Human Rights co-organized the event.
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025UNODC participated as a partner organization in the regional workshop in Santiago, contributing expertise on justice and crime prevention alongside CTI.
• DIGNITY (Danish Institute against Torture)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025DIGNITY participated as a partner organization in the regional workshop in Santiago, contributing expertise on torture prevention and rehabilitation.
• National Contact Point for Human Rights (NCHR)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025NCHR participated as a partner organization in the regional workshop in Santiago on preventing torture in police detention.
• OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025OHCHR participates in CTI events and workshops, providing expertise on UN human rights mechanisms and supporting CTI's mandate. CTI regularly collaborates with OHCHR including its treaty-body capacity-building programme.
• OHCHR CARICOM (Caribbean Community Regional Office)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025OHCHR CARICOM co-organized the Eastern Caribbean capacity building event with CTI in Saint Kitts and Nevis, focusing on UNCAT implementation and human rights-compliant policing.
• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025OECS partnered with CTI and OHCHR CARICOM to support Eastern Caribbean states in advancing anti-torture efforts and human rights-compliant policing.
• Norwegian Center for Human Rights (NCHR)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025NCHR, in cooperation with the Norwegian Police University College, prepared CTI's Training Tool 1/2017 on Investigative Interviewing. They are leading trainers on investigative interviewing techniques worldwide.
• CogJus (Laboratory for Teaching and Research in Cognition and Justice)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025CogJus provided expert practitioners for training on investigative interviewing in the Eastern Caribbean capacity building event, contributing psychological expertise on human rights-compliant interviewing.
• National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025SUHAKAM partnered with CTI to hold a national capacity-building activity and closed-door high-level dialogue on advancing Malaysia's UNCAT accession in Putrajaya, Malaysia in September 2025.
• Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014APT is a key strategic partner of CTI, collaborating on the APT-CTI Guide on anti-torture legislation and joint participation in events. APT provides expert input on torture prevention mechanisms and supports CTI's capacity building efforts worldwide.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR): OSCE institution supporting participating States on human rights, democracy, and rule of law, including torture prevention work. Functions as a regional intergovernmental peer with comparable State engagement and capacity-building roles in the OSCE area.
• Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR): Regional intergovernmental body within the OAS system that addresses human rights including torture in the Americas. Represents a regional counterpart to CTI's UN-focused mandate, with comparable capacity-building and reporting functions at the inter-American level.
• African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights: AU-mandated regional body promoting and protecting human rights in Africa, including work related to torture and ill-treatment. Comparable regional intergovernmental structure to CTI's mandate, with potential overlap in African State engagement.
• EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA): EU agency providing evidence-based assistance on fundamental rights including torture and ill-treatment. Comparable intergovernmental capacity-building function focused on EU member states, with research and policy support analogous to CTI's mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Amnesty International: Global human rights NGO that conducts reporting and advocacy on torture and ill-treatment, including country-level engagement. While its mandate is far broader than UNCAT-specific work, it represents a major external voice shaping the global torture prevention agenda CTI operates in.
• Human Rights Watch: International NGO conducting investigations and country advocacy on torture, detention conditions, and ill-treatment across all regions. Shares the torture prevention thematic area with CTI but employs a high-pressure advocacy model versus CTI's constructive approach.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): International humanitarian organization with a long-standing mandate to visit detainees and prevent torture and ill-treatment, particularly in armed conflict. Operates globally with significantly larger scale and broader humanitarian remit than CTI.
• OHCHR (UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights): The UN's principal human rights body and a Core strategic partner of CTI. Operates the treaty-body capacity-building programme and the anti-torture mechanisms (Committee against Torture, SPT, Special Rapporteur) that CTI supports and engages with.

Direct peers

• Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT): Geneva-based NGO that is CTI's closest strategic partner and a co-author of the APT-CTI Guide on anti-torture legislation. APT focuses on preventive mechanisms (notably NPMs under OPCAT), making it the most directly comparable organization in torture prevention.
• DIGNITY (Danish Institute against Torture): Denmark-based organization working on torture prevention and victim rehabilitation; participated as a partner in CTI's 2025 Santiago workshop. Operates in a closely overlapping mandate area, focused on torture documentation, rehabilitation, and prevention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cti_uncat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CTI Core States