New ABA ROLI partnership program at the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Judicial Training school in Colombia


In attendance at the signing ceremony were the individuals pictured above: US Federal Judge Peter Messitte and ROLI Latin America & the Caribbean Council Adviser (left); Nerea Aparicio, ABA ROLI's Director of the Latin America and the Carribbean (middle); and Alberto Mora, the ABA's Associate Executive Director for Global Programs (right).


Last month, members of the ABA ROLI team attended the inaugural ceremony for a new capacity program with the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Judicial Training school in Bogotá, Colombia. On February 20, Alberto Mora, the ABA's Associate Executive Director for Global Programs and Nerea Aparicio, ABA ROLl's Director of Latin America and Caribbean, joined local legal actors in the recognition of the educational pursuit, which is a collaborative effort between the Embassy of the United States of America, and the Superior Council of the Judiciary in Bogotá, Colombia. ABA ROLI will work in tandem with the school as they pioneer new innovative pedagogical and organizational models for the institution. Through this partnership, they will address a variety of criminal justice challenges.  

After the ceremony, U.S. Federal Judge Peter Messitte, expressed the following: “ABA ROLI welcomes the opportunity to assist the Colombia Judicial Training School through a comparative and collaborative approach that responds to its needs and priorities. Today we initiate an important new chapter of a voluminous book. ABA ROLI is eager to write this new chapter along with the Colombia Judicial Training School Rodrigo Lara Bonilla and the Superior Judicial Council.”

Also in attendance were: the Colombia High Courts and Superior Judicial Council Justices, as well as the Director of the Judicial Training School, Mary Lucero Novoa; the Solicitor General, Fernando Carrillo Flores; the President of the Special Jurisdiction for the Peace, Patricia Linares,  the U.S. Ambassador, Kevin Whitaker; Director of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Christopher Landberg; U.S. Federal Judge and ROLI LAC Council Advisor, Peter Messitte; and Carlos Urrutia, a LAC Council member and former Colombian Ambassador before the U.S., as well as several other prominent members of the legal community.

Additionally, the ceremony and program were covered by the following Colombian news and television sites: Canal 1, El Tiempo, Nova Colombia, Rama Judicial, and Periscopio Politico.

Learn more about ABA ROLI’s work across Latin American and the Caribbean.



Ms. Aparicio listens to Judge Messitte's remarks at the ceremony in Bogotá, Colombia.


Kevin Whitaker, US Ambassador to Colombia, gave remarks during the opening ceremony.

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