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| Pictured top: Members of ROLI's Armenian election advisory teams were sent across four regional areas of the country to provide first-hand legal support at polling stations. Pictured at bottom from left to right: ABA ROLI representatives and a Peruvian Delegation visited Denver for a study tour addressing environmental crimes; A CSI training took place in Egypt; and a disguised victim testified at the Habarugira trial in Goma, DRC. |
As we welcome in the new year, we would like to highlight some of ROLI's work in 2019, as well as thank those who have helped us along the way for their dedication and commitment to the rule of law and their support for ABA ROLI. In the face of a challenging global situation and attacks on the judiciary, lawyers, and legal process around the world, we are reminded of the importance of ABA ROLI's programs.
2020 marks the 30th Anniversary of the founding of CEELI/ROLI. In those 30 years, ABA CEELI and, later, ROLI has worked in more than 100 countries connecting over 8,000 volunteer lawyers and judges to rule of law programs. With the contributions of generous volunteers, supporters, and donors, we have led nearly 3,000 grants designed to promote justice, economic opportunity, and human dignity through the rule of law around the world. Working with you, we plan to celebrate this important milestone by reflecting upon our successes and what we’ve learned in the past while looking forward to make sure that we have an impact long into the future.
2019 was an important year for ABA ROLI in many ways, positive and negative. It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of one of our founders and former ABA President (1991-1992) Sandy D’Alemberte this year. To commemorate his life's work, ROLI produced a video tribute to Sandy, which you can watch here. While his passing deeply saddened us, it also instilled in us a greater drive to carry-on the important work he helped begin.
We also had some notable successes in 2019. Some highlights include:
- We launched a new column in the ABA Journal called ABA Abroad with an initial piece authored by Judge McKeown;
- We worked to ensure that the post-revolution elections in Armenia were free and fair;
- We helped secure the conviction of a notorious warlord in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
- In partnership with our colleagues in the ABA's Center for Human Rights, we released a Framework for Enhanced Responses to Bias-Motivated Violence Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, or Gender Expression;
- We launched a new partnership with a judicial training school in Colombia;
- We introduced programs related to Alternative Dispute Resolution to the Philippines Judicial Academy (PHILJA) and Philippines Mediation Center Office (PMCO);
- We participated in the Tashkent Law Spring Legal Forum in Uzbekistan;
- We expanded our support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in the Central African Republic;
- In partnership with the UNODC, we helped bring together justice sector institutions, including law enforcement, customs, and immigration agencies from the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to help them in their fight against corruption; and
- We honored the winners of our Mexico mock-trial competition.
We are proud of the impact our programs continue to have around the world.
ABA ROLI would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the individuals and organizations who supported us in 2019 and for the past 30 years. We look forward to your support in the years to come.
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