EBRO Global is a not for profit organization that has been established in response to the growing need for civil society, communities, states and international actors, in an increasingly complex and unstable world, to have access to rapidly-deployable independent and expert advice and support.

We provide and manage highly specialist and bespoke capability to offer effective, credible, flexible, and efficient solutions through transparent delivery to the highest international best practice standards.

Our team and consultant network includes leading professionals and practitioners from across the globe with specialist skill sets and decades of international experience on the world stage.

EBRO provides access to a multi-disciplinary network of international experts in:

• Public affairs (domestic policy & international relations) and private diplomacy (relationship building, dialogue, foreign relations)
• Law and justice (rule of law, constitutional law, human rights, international law, and transitional justice)
• Conflict and dispute resolution (consultation, outreach, mediation, reconciliation, peace talks and dialogue platforms/international court applications, litigation, arbitration and mediation)
• Counter-terrorism
• Best practice and good governance (anti-corruption and asset recovery)
• Development and state building.

Support services:

• Strategic communications & PR
• Campaigning and events (political, humanitarian and victim-based)
• Crisis management
• Investigations & research
• White papers.

EBRO delivers solutions that promote social, economic and political stability. We offer durable solutions to pressing international and domestic challenges. 

EBRO’S team has decades of combined experience in providing support to states (governments, heads of state, ministries), political parties, regional and international non-government organizations, civil society, philanthropists and corporations. EBRO provides expert capability to its clients on an ad hoc, project or permanent basis. Our team has provided discreet and trusted advisers, set up think tanks and implementation task forces for numerous governments, heads of state and institutions. 

Areas of engagement include:

·      International and political diplomacy

·      Law and justice

·      National security and human rights

·      Peace-making, conflict resolution and crisis management

·      Rule of law, good governance (social and political stability)

·      Civil society

·      Development and economic stability.

Official diplomatic channels do not always provide the best mechanism for raising, testing, or negotiating the most sensitive issues. Some matters require “sampling” and exploration through discreet independent channels before being aired in an official context. Others are better presented indirectly, through channels that are perceived to be independent, professionally respected, or via established relationships that can be built upon. EBRO provides discreet, high-level channels for communication between key actors along with advice and guidance on strategies best suited to obtaining beneficial outcomes.

We can provide capabilities and openings not otherwise available. Through private dialogue and consultation with key players, influencers and validators, our team can help identify areas of achievable progress, and act as confidential envoys in the resolution of international and domestic issues and disputes.

EBRO’s role is to complement and support official diplomatic relationships - not to bypass or undercut them – and to help find solutions that may not be attainable through official dialogue alone.

With our team’s skills and practice in dialogue and mediation at all levels, we can provide a bespoke channel for raising and resolving domestic, international, or commercial issues of concern. As well as communicating with key parties and institutions, we are experienced with engaging the increasingly diverse range of non-state actors who nowadays influence domestic and international politics and public opinion. We are skilled at providing bespoke platforms for deconfliction dialogue, talks, and consultation.

Our intervention will often consist of discreet private interaction combined with public interaction (through media or events) with the aim of advancing strategic policy goals or relationship building. Confidential emissaries can protect and explain public positions, facilitate trust, and produce innovative and nuanced solutions. We can also advise states on public advocacy to reinforce key messages, and on media and PR strategies to manage the release of information into the public domain.

EBRO is not a law firm, but our consultant network includes highly experienced international lawyers alongside our principal law firm McCue Jury & Partners LLP.

EBRO’s legal network has expertise in international law, international human rights law, international terrorism law, international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and international refugee law. Our lawyers also have extensive experience in commercial law, constitutional law, extradition and mutual legal assistance, and in the extra-territorial application of national criminal law. Our team includes world-leading legal experts in human rights, counter-terrorism and counter-radicalization.

EBRO can organize a bespoke team of specialist lawyers to meet any given need. Complex legal issues on the world stage require a diverse legal solution. EBRO’s role is not just to identify the specialist team needed, but also to manage all the different moving legal parts towards a successful conclusion. No single law firm has the range of components and skills required to successfully manage complex legal projects in the political space, nor has it the supporting access to supporting practitioner skill sets or knowledge of international political institutions.

EBRO can manage and arrange the very best legal representation for states and its officials in domestic and international courts and tribunals.

Some commercial disputes can be of critical importance to the stability of a state, a region or the wellbeing of a society or community. Such disputes require more than a straightforward commercial law response. EBRO can provide holistic assistance to states and corporate entities in connection with this type of dispute, litigation, mediation or international arbitration (including investment, treaty, and commercial arbitration).

EBRO offers a full border dispute and border recognition service to states as well as mediation and tribunal inquiry platforms for states and international bodies. Our team includes public international lawyers (with experience of land and maritime border disputes) and mediation experts that have had experience with historic, commercial and ethnic border disputes around the world. We have close working relationships with international institutions and are able to liaise with them in any given process.

Our team and consultant network provide world leading legal advice on all aspects of Rule of Law, good governance, best practice, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and human rights. Our well respected team can provide human rights auditing.

EBRO’s team includes world leaders on conflict and transitional justice. Our team pioneered lawfare, innovative reparations platforms and hybrid special tribunals.We develop innovative ways to maximize transitional justice so that it delivers more for a given society: reconciliation, truth, justice, reparations, compensation and thereby sustainable peace.

Security Sector Reform is essential to improve capacity to address national security threats and to eliminate bad practices. Ongoing reform is a necessity for an effective and durable national security policy and to ensure compliance with best practice. EBRO advises and assists in the implementation of reforms. We review existing arrangements for compliance with international standards (including human rights audits) and provide credible and independent assessments of their strengths and weaknesses. EBRO makes specific recommendations for change and carry out periodic reviews and monitoring of its implementation.

EBRO has the capacity to engage internationally recognized experts in the provision of capacity-building for national security structures.

The EBRO team has been directly involved in state and non-state initiatives aimed at countering terrorism and violent extremism, the appeal of armed groups and increasing social resilience to political violence.

EBRO’s network combines the experience of leading intelligence professionals, lawyers, anthropologists and social scientists who are able to advise on best practice and identify counter extremism, terrorism and radicalization strategies which are tailored to meet the needs of local conditions. We carry out reviews and recommendations and provide expert capacity to implement and monitor relevant programmes.

Our diverse team is highly experienced at dealing with key issues within counter-terrorism relating to gender, peace-building, engagement with terrorists, and victims of terrorism.

The team includes world leading lawyers and practitioners who pioneered “lawfare”: initially in respect of supporting states in conflict and supporting victims of terrorism (through asymmetrical counter terrorism methodology and civil law strategies, to provide justice, compensation and deterrents against terrorists and state sponsors of terrorism.) Their work developed further into civil society lawfare (concerning ESG related matters) which became the global campaigning tool for creating beneficial change for global society. 

EBRO advises on, supports and carries out all aspects relevant to successful mediation, dialogue and conflict resolution. We have direct experience in bilateral negotiations between states, multilateral negotiations under the auspices of the UN and AU, and in direct negotiations between governments and armed groups, as well as in soft mediation in cross-community disputes.

We also provide immediate and long-term strategic advice task forces on peacebuilding and peace processes. Our team is an essential partner (for states or international institutions) in any peace process (on strategy, structures and implementation).

EBRO advises states on conflict justice, and (during conflict) peace-building mechanisms and transitional justice. The experts in the EBRO’s consultant network have participated in/advised on many national,regional and international judicial special tribunals, commissions for truth and reconciliation, reparations commissions, and decommissioning processes.

EBRO advises on the creation and implementation of bespoke strategies for post-conflict stability and enduring peace. The sustainability of peace requires focus not only on the peace process and transitional arrangements (both relating to government and justice) but also on state building. The country must develop in tandem with the peace process, in terms of its institutions, policy and economy but also in terms of its civil society.

The EBRO team can provide a state with all aspects of advice in relation to human rights whether relating to its responsibilities, obligations, actions or transgressions. We specialize in human rights audits of government structures and policy through reviews and recommendations followed by implementation and monitoring.

EBRO’s legal team and network has experience of acting both for and against states in some of the most high-profile international human rights litigation of the past 30 years. We can advise states on all aspects of human rights protection and, where necessary, put together legal teams to represent them.

EBRO’s distinguished lawyers and practitioners can offer independent and credible assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of existing state and judicial institutions. These assessments draw on international best practice and can provide a road map for institutional reform through restructuring, policy and training.

EBRO offers advice on ethical good governance standards for governments, civil services and security forces and services. We offer credible independent assessments of public governance, identify areas of concern, and make recommendations for reform. As well as promoting better domestic standards, independent reviews can also facilitate international engagement and overseas support/donor funding.

EBRO’s team and consultant network have a unique collective expertise in the conduct of research, internal investigations and public inquiries. Whether acting for a state, a government department, a company or an NGO, our lawyers and investigators have been directly involved in some of the most sensitive and far-reaching investigations and inquiries in recent years. These vary from allegations of widespread corruption (in government or sports), to investigations into coups d’état, mass killings, the handling of natural disasters, and the recovery of stolen assets. EBRO offers a comprehensive service for public and private investigation, with the highest levels of independence, integrity and credibility.

Our team includes anti-corruption specialists, financial investigators and lawyers with extensive global experience in asset recovery. Where significant public funds are alleged to have been stolen by regimes, public officials or third parties, EBRO has the resources at its disposal to design, organize funding, mount and manage successful and best practice international asset-tracing and recovery programs. Our team has pioneered best practice asset recovery models into sovereign wealth funds for the redeployment of recovered funds into health, education and civil services.

EBRO works with governments to build strategies and conditions to better enable civil society development. We have extensive experience in fostering and building civil society groupings and initiatives. We design, plan, implement and guide NGOs as well as civil society projects and policy.

EBRO can formulate and implement domestic and international campaigns and events for states, institutions and civil society. Our events management and campaigning team have extensive experience and connections to key figures, influencers, commentators and validators.

EBRO provides commercial diplomacy through designing strategies, policy and platforms to attract and encourage investment, economic diversification and reputable business practices. We can assist in creating the right environment with best practice and anti-corruption mechanisms to attract investment and be the foundations for economic stability. EBRO’s commercial affiliates act as a best practice gateway for business and investment across all sectors.

EBRO designs and develops (or reviews and recommends) bespoke state or corporate social reinvestment schemes to maximize their impact for the benefit of all.

Disputes between states and key investors can arise for a variety of reasons. The impact of such disputes on a state can be damaging, particularly when the matter affects the economic stability and the reputation of the country. EBRO’s expert consultant network (with government, legal and commercial experience) is best placed to advise and assist the parties in resolving disputes through negotiation, dialogue, mediation, arbitration or litigation.

EBRO assists governments to meet environmental challenges and imperatives within government policy, actions and commercial activity. Our team designs and implements solutions to environmental injustice (whether to the state or its communities) and provides mechanisms to seek reparations.

Jason McCue is an experienced international lawyer (UK Law Society’s Lawyer of the Year 2009 and European Awards Human Rights Lawyer of the Year 2023), and an expert in international relations, lawfare, counter-terrorism, conflict resolution, and transitional justice. He has acted as adviser to heads of state, governments, opposition groups, international bodies and companies; and has a long-established working relationship with the political, cultural and governmental infrastructure of the UK, US and many states in Africa and the Middle East. He is well-known (in practice and academically) for pioneering lawfare and his work in pursuit of justice for victims of terrorism and genocide.

Among other roles, he has acted as Presidential Envoy for Somaliland on independence recognition ; as facilitator to the joint UN/AU Darfur Peace Process; as adviser on recognition and transitional justice to the Transitional Government of Libya; as head of the Libya-UK Reconciliation Group, supported by the UK Foreign Office; as adviser to the Government of Djibouti on policing, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy measures; as lead adviser to the Government of Somaliland on development of the Berbera Port and the Berbera Corridor; and as head of Ukraine’s Civil Society Lawfare Programme.

In the commercial sphere, he has represented private clients on overseas investment opportunities in developing states and frontier markets, providing advice on local operating conditions, government access and social re-investment schemes.

Mohammed Yonis is a former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs for Somaliland from 2013 to 2015 and is a seasoned diplomat with over 40 years’ experience in international development and conflict management. He is a former Director and Adviser to the President of the African Development Bank and, from 2009 to 2013, he worked as Deputy Joint Special Representative of UNAMID in Darfur, coordinating efforts between the UN, the African Union and the Government of Sudan. Amongst other roles, it was his responsibility to conduct hostage negotiations. Mr. Yonis was the Foreign Minister of Somaliland for over two years until October 2015. While in that capacity, he co-hosted the first Investment Conference for Somaliland with the UK Government in London; led a high-level delegation to the first Somaliland Conference at the European Union Parliament in Brussels in January 2015; and participated as an observer at the African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings in May 2015.

Mr. Yonis holds an MPA from Harvard University where he was a Mason Fellow, and a BA in Political Science and Business Management from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He also holds diplomas in conflict resolution and in education obtained in Canada, Somalia and Germany. He is an expert on public policy, particularly, in relation to governance, management and peace building in Africa. He speaks fluent English and Arabic.

McCue Jury & Partners LLP is a specialist international law firm that is internationally acknowledged as a leading practice in human rights, litigation, criminal defence and prosecution, transitional justice, and reputation management. The media has dubbed the firm as “The Enforcers” and as “Someone to Watch Over Us”. The firm is one of the UK’s most highly recommended (Legal 500 and Chambers Directories) law firms, including lawyers that are acknowledged as leaders in their fields. This enables EBRO to be in the unique position of providing clients with on demand legal advice or direct formal representation through the law firm. See www.mccue-law.com.

Consultants include:

Philip Boulton is a former senior British government official. He has advised a number of governments on strategic issues and has acted as a channel for dialogue and exchange on sensitive matters between opposing states, parties and groups. His work as an adviser has relied heavily on his ability to build discreet relationships, providing the means to assist the formulation of policy to promote effective engagement with international partners and achieve steps towards conflict resolution, stabilization and political and economic rehabilitation. Since leaving government service, he has used his skills to develop high level relationships in a number of frontier, emerging, and politically complex markets. He also advises and supports investors seeking to achieve their commercial objectives to the benefit of environments shaped by cultural differences, conflict and political disharmony.

Jasmine Zerinini is a former French diplomat, with a background in human and hard security issues and regional expertise in Asia. She served as Director for South Asia and Afghanistan in the Quai d’Orsay between 2008 and 2011. She also acted as French Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In this capacity, she was responsible for reconstruction and civilian assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan. She has held policy-level positions in the French Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister’s Office in relation to security, the coordination of intelligence, and Asian affairs, during which she helped develop institutional relationships between France and countries in Asia and Oceania in the security field. She is a member of the Bar in London and an accredited mediator with the ADR group. She is a Trustee of Inter-Mediate, a charity dedicated to mediation and conflict-resolution, and a member of the Council of Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs).

Cofer Black is a former CIA official who was appointed Ambassador-at-large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism by President George W. Bush and led the Office of Counterterrorism in the U.S. State Department. Previously he served in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) and Director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center (CTC). Cofer is an internationally recognized authority on counterterrorism, cyber security, national security, and foreign affairs.

In the recent years, Cofer has provided strategic guidance, business development, and high-level consulting to leading global companies, corporate support to US Government and international customers and is currently on the board of several companies including the Baltic International Bank.

Sir Ronald Flanagan GBE, QPM was Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and its predecessor the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He was subsequently appointed as the Home Office Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Since leaving the UK police force, he became the strategic advisor to the Abu Dhabi police force and chairman of the international cricket council’s anti-corruption and security unit.

Justin Marozzi is a political and strategic communications advisor, journalist, author, and broadcaster with extensive experience in international project management and a proven track record of working with senior political leadership at Head of State level and across international governments, UN agencies, European Union, African Union, and NATO. Highly experienced in conflict and post-conflict environments, with many years working in the Middle East and Arab word, he is also a professional communicator with the highest academic qualifications and a proven ability to achieve outstanding results in the most testing situations.

He is a member of the UK government Stabilisation Unit’s Deployable Civilian Experts in Strategic Communications, with UK government / NATO security clearance. He is also a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Policy Institute at King’s College London and a Senior Research Fellow at Buckingham University’s Humanities Research Institute. He was a Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society 2011-2014.

He has extensive experience as a political and strategic communications advisor to: The Office of the Prime Minister of Libya; NATO (Norway) and Allied Rapid Reaction Corps; Strategic Communications Evaluation, UN, Geneva; Senior Communications Advisor to the President and Prime Minister of Somalia; Senior Communications Advisor to Director of UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit; Director of Government Relations, Aegis, Iraq; Senior Advisor, Albany Associates.

He is a writer, historian and journalist and regularly contributes to national and international publications and broadcasters, including BBC, FT, Newsweek, Spectator, Times, Sunday Telegraph, Guardian, Evening Standard. He was a former contributing editor to The Spectator.

Jason Wright is a former US Army judge advocate (JAG). He is currently a partner at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP and serves as Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University and Professor of Practice at Washington and Lee University School of Law. During his ten-year active-duty military career, Wright was a military public defender in Europe and Guantánamo Bay, an aide-de-camp to a division commander in Iraq, and a military legal planner in Europe and Iraq where he advised on international law, national security, humanitarian law and military intelligence. He was military defence counsel for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, in trial proceedings held in Guantánamo Bay (the largest ever criminal case in US legal history). Since establishing his own private practice in 2015, Wright has been handling a range of cases including government investigations, cases concerning national security law and sanctions, civil and appellate litigation, and public international law matters for private clients, multinational corporations, defence and intelligence contractors, as well as certain states. Wright, awarded the Bronze Star Medal for combat service in Iraq and the U.S. Secretary of Defence’s Meritorious Service Medal for his representation of Guantánamo Bay detainees, continues to serve as a Major in the US Army Reserves where he holds a top- secret security clearance.

Toby Burnham is an expert in global communications with a demonstrated depth of experience working successfully in public relations across multiple sectors and different continents. He is skilled in crisis management and building campaign narratives through strategic communications, corporate social responsibility aspects, event management and worldwide media relations.

Toby’s twenty years’ experience at running global news events along with an in-depth working knowledge of the technologies and architecture of modern news coverage, allows him to design, build, and run campaigns or crisis management very effectively. While adept on any continent, Toby has focussed much of his work across Africa, working in Sudan, Republic of South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco and Libya; and the UAE and Qatar.

Added to that is a record of significant high-level consultancy work in a range of global sectors, such as health and development (World Health Organisation, RED, Malaria No More, The Global Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), energy (National Oil Corporation of Libya), sport and entertainment; creating a rare mix of connectivity and knowledge of many types of content and story-building across the world.

Ibrahim Yusuf is an accomplished and versatile professional with extensive experience across various industries. He serves as Senior Advisor to the Minister of Energy and Minerals; he also works closely with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Somaliland. In this role, he provides invaluable strategic guidance on foreign affairs, energy, and mineral development. Additionally, he represented the President of Somaliland as a special envoy.

Prior to this role, Ibrahim served as the Group CEO of MSG Group of Companies, a prominent investor in the Horn of Africa region and the Middle East. Leading this conglomerate, he oversaw a diverse portfolio of businesses encompassing manufacturing, telecommunications, oil exploration, and construction. Furthermore, he co-founded and held the position of Executive Director at the Horn of Africa Business Association (HABA), an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting business development in the region.

General: inquiry@ebroglobal.org 

Office manager: jo.foxley@ebroglobal.org

Jason McCue: jason.mccue@ebroglobal.org 

Mohamed Yonis: mo.yonis@ebroglobal.org

Telephone: +44 (0) 204 602 7569

Address: 17-19 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS8 1HB