For a number of years, the American Bar Affiliation’s Rule of Regulation Initiative carried out packages in Colombia to enhance the capability of judges and courtroom personnel, fight human trafficking instances and public corruption, strengthen judicial follow in rural areas, additional migrant integration and citizen safety, and assist environmental defenders within the Amazon area. These packages have been funded by the US authorities by way of its Division of State.
With the Colombian courts, we strengthened the competencies of judges and prosecutors by way of ABA ROLI-designed judicial teaching programs addressing key points, equivalent to felony regulation. For instance, a few of this work was facilitated by way of our four-year program bolstering the capability of the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Judicial Coaching College in addressing Colombia’s felony justice challenges and the wants of a various judicial system.
Throughout this time, ABA ROLI constructed a dynamic and strong accomplice community within the nation, starting from authorities ministries, judicial establishments and native organizations, together with the Superior Council of the Judiciary (Spanish, Consejo Superior de la Judicatura—CSJ).
In June, Colombia formally drafted the nation’s Declaration of Judicial Ethic Rules for the Colombian Judicature, which can function the premise for Colombia’s judicial code of conduct. It consists of three distinct components: justification, objectives and influence; rules; and suggestions to guarantee and assure its precise implementation. This groundbreaking initiative was led by the Superior Council of the Judiciary, with assist from the Nationwide Judicial Council and the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Judicial Coaching College and was technically led by ABA ROLI.
ABA ROLI’s Mauricio Diaz moderated the ceremony’s closing session alongside the 4 judges who summarized the Declaration of Judicial Ethic Rules for the Colombian Judicature. (Picture courtesy of the ABA Middle for World Packages)
It can function a key reference for present and future justice sector operators worldwide. 600 eighty judges from throughout the nation participated within the course of. The declaration had a huge effect on civil society and the media, revealed within the following shops: El Tiempo and El Nuevo Siglo.
ABA ROLI’s senior technical adviser in Washington, D.C., Silvana Stanga, with huge worldwide experience of greater than 40 years in judicial training and on the strengthening of judicial establishments, led this endeavor on behalf of ABA ROLI. Her work was primarily based on strategic planning and high quality rules, with a powerful emphasis on judicial values.
Colombia’s Supreme Court docket of Justice invited ABA ROLI and Stanga to guide this initiative since April 2025, significantly for academic and institutional strengthening actions. The president of the Judges Affiliation co-facilitated the occasion. Colombia’s Supreme Court docket of Justice highlighted the high-level working periods from June 26 to 27 earlier than the official ceremony asserting the declaration, that includes Stanga at 0:23.
“I’m pleased with the work ABA ROLI might do to assist Colombia’s judiciary on this historic endeavor. The current declaration is step one in a sequence of actions geared toward strengthening the judiciary in Colombia.” —Silvana Stanga, ABA ROLI senior technical adviser
ABA ROLI’s partnership with the Superior Council of the Judiciary was pivotal for our work within the nation. On this regard, between 2019 and 2023, ABA ROLI assisted the JTS, which is the institutional academic unit of the Nationwide Judicial Council. This was carried out as a part of a program geared toward strengthening the judges’ competencies in organized crime. In 2023 and 2024, we hosted a four-part judicial coaching module in collaboration with the CSJ on combating human trafficking, emphasizing the significance of strengthening the competencies of judicial officers in Colombia.
ABA ROLI’s Silvana Stanga (far proper) sits alongside the presidents of Colombia’s Excessive Courts, together with the chief justice, on the ceremony for the declaration.
In April 2023, ABA ROLI launched its Rural Justice Program to handle the advanced challenges confronted by the Colombian judicial system in combating organized crime and making certain entry to justice, particularly in distant rural areas, equivalent to Antioquia, Arauca, Chocó, Guajira, Nariño and Norte de Santander. This system was in collaboration with Colombia’s Superior Council of the Judiciary with help from the Federal Judicial Middle. Moreover, this system performed a wants evaluation section, instantly partaking with beneficiaries within the focused areas.
Our work in Colombia is one instance around the globe the place ABA ROLI made a optimistic influence, together with supporting human rights abuse instances in Guatemala, bolstering civil actor networks in Sri Lanka targeted on spiritual freedom, and offering pivotal mentorship workshops for legal professionals in Zambia to problem oppressive legal guidelines on basic freedoms.
For the previous 35 years, the ABA’s Middle for World Packages, which incorporates the Rule of Regulation Initiative and the Middle for Human Rights, has carried out over 1,000 initiatives in additional than 100 nations targeted on a spread of technical areas, equivalent to entry to justice, authorized training and professionalism, human rights, felony justice, business regulation, gender and social inclusion, judicial system strengthening and anti-corruption efforts. This work wouldn’t be doable with out our devoted employees, companions and funders.
Nonetheless, similar to comparable grant-funded organizations, ABA CGP was affected by the U.S. authorities’s halt on foreign-aid funding and stop-work orders since January 2025. Since then, ABA CGP has closed over 80 packages and 25 subject places of work and laid off a whole bunch of workers around the globe and in Washington, D.C. On this new actuality, ABA CGP is in search of non-USG packages and contracts, the place it might probably proceed supporting communities and establishments around the globe. Contemplate donating to ABA CGP’s fundraiser furthering the rule of regulation, entry to justice and human rights for all.
ABA Overseas is a column highlighting the work of the ABA’s Middle for World Packages, which includes the Rule of Regulation Initiative, the Middle for Human Rights and the ABA’s presence on the United Nations.
This column displays the opinions of the creator and never essentially the views of the ABA Journal—or the American Bar Affiliation.
