Project to improve dispute resolution, improve judicial administration
The Inter-American Development Bank approved a $21.3 million loan to help Colombia strengthen judicial services.
The program will help Colombia provide timely, efficient, effective, quality solutions to disputes, actions which will provide greater legal certainty and strengthen the rule of law. Moreover, the project will improve the judicial administration, by increasing the quality of information and public services and supporting legislative information management.
Colombia is a country with a long and solid juridical tradition. The country has made significant progress in strengthening the judiciary and guaranteeing its independence and autonomy. Nonetheless, institutional shortcomings persist, mainly procedural delays, a strong perception of legal instability, and insufficient public confidence in the justice system.
The project will finance organizational and procedural reforms and training to judges and judicial officers in areas such as judicial management. It also supports the implementation of procurement tools for oral proceedings including computer and connectivity equipment as well as education campaigns for Colombian citizens on the role of the High Courts and the exercise of their fundamental rights and duties.
The project is expected to decongest the case docket, improve and consolidate case-law information, enhance quality of services provided by the Colombian High Courts, and improve citzen's perception of the judiciary.
This loan features a 20-year term, with a 5.5-year disbursement and grace periods, and carries a Libor-based interest rate.