January 16, 2014: Today the United States Embassy in Colombo, through its development arm, the U.S. Agency for International Development, announced its new program to support the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.  With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, USAID will sponsor a Bar Association program entitled “Civil Society Initiatives to Support the Rule of Law.”  This three-year program will enable the U.S. to foster further linkages between the Sri Lanka Bar and U.S. state bar association.  This program will also support continuing professional legal and judicial level education, strengthen legal aid services, and bolster the research and advocacy role of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.

“I am so pleased to support important stakeholders in the Sri Lankan legal system, such as the Bar Association of Sri Lanka,” said Ambassador Michele Sison at the signing ceremony.  “We are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with civil society in ways that strengthen democratic institutions, support the rule of law, and promote an independent judicial system.  In this regard we can help further Sri Lanka’s efficacy of the legal system and the administration of justice.”  This grant will also assist with a law library renovation, the refurbishment of the Bar Association auditorium, and the organization of a Labor Law Conference in February 2014.