Over three years, GGGI and the Environmental Law Insitute’s project will build the capacity of the Colombian judiciary to hear and adjudicate cases related to illegal logging. The project will build awareness and technical capacity among every judge and magistrate (300 total) in the four departments of Colombia most affected by illegal logging: Caquetá, Guaviare, Meta, and Putumayo. As well, the project will train the 63 appellate judges in Bogotá who would hear appeals from the judges in the departments.
No efforts to protect forests in southern Colombia focus on the judiciary. In tandem with existing efforts (e.g., by UNODC and Norway) to build the capacity of investigators, prosecutors, and communities, ELI’s project will fill a crucial gap in the enforcement cycle necessary to transform the enforcement of laws on illegal logging. By training all the relevant judges, the project will foster a transformation of judicial culture in favor of effective enforcement of laws preventing and punishing illegal logging. By engaging Colombian judicial institutions and legal experts in developing and delivering the courses, the project will build capacity for sustaining and expanding trainings after the completion of the course. And by conducting a sustained and complementary outreach and media campaign, the project will support a transformation toward a culture of compliance.
Outcomes
- Increased capacity and inclination of judges to decide cases enforcing laws governing illegal logging, including laws protecting environmental defenders who seek to enforce those laws.
- More timely and appropriate adjudication of cases related to illegal logging.
- Improved enforcement of laws governing illegal logging by addressing specific gaps in the legal framework.
- Enhanced integration of efforts across the enforcement cycle, from investigations to prosecution to adjudication..
Impact
Transferring critical knowledge to the judiciary about the importance of Colombia’s forests, knowledge of the laws governing illegal logging and protecting environmental defenders, and information necessary to effectively hear and decide cases related to illegal logging will enable the judiciary to become an integral and reliable component of the government’s enforcement efforts to fight illegal logging, thereby transforming illegal logging and protecting Colombia’s forests.