The United States said that it was supporting the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, through which it expects to help further the efficacy of the legal system and the administration of justice here.

Issuing a statement, the US embassy in Colombo, said that through its development arm, the U.S. Agency for International Development, (USAID) will sponsor a Bar Association programme entitled “Civil Society Initiatives to Support the Rule of Law.”  

This three-year programme would enable the U.S. to foster further linkages between the Sri Lankan Bar and U.S. State Bar Association. This programme would also support continued professional legal and judicial level education, strengthen legal aid services, and bolster the research and advocacy role of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the statement said. “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 the efficacy of the legal system and the administration of justice here.”  

This grant would also assist with a law library renovation, the refurbishment of the Bar Association auditorium, and the organization of a Labour Law Conference in February 2014, it added.