Biography
Juan Manuel Zarama is an attorney with more than 16 years of experience in human rights, international law, and transitional justice, with a particular focus on the relationship between legal institutions, armed conflict, and democratic governance. He holds an M.A. in Political Philosophy from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), an LL.M. in International Law from Stetson University College of Law (United States), and an LL.M. in Advanced Human Rights Studies from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain).
His professional trajectory combines international practice with domestic institutional engagement. He has worked with leading international organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) in London, and the Programme on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. His work in these settings has focused on the protection of vulnerable populations, the strengthening of rule of law institutions, and the implementation of international legal standards in complex contexts.
In Colombia, he has held key roles in institutions central to the country’s transitional justice framework, including the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the National Center for Historical Memory, and the Victims’ Unit. Through these positions, he has contributed to processes of accountability, historical clarification, and reparations for victims of armed conflict.
He currently serves at the Constitutional Court of Colombia, supporting the chambers of Justice Natalia Ángel-Cabo. His work engages with questions of digital constitutionalism, the use of artificial intelligence in judicial decision-making, and the Court’s structural oversight of the internal displacement crisis, particularly within the framework of the landmark Judgment T-025 of 2004.
His work reflects a sustained commitment to advancing human rights and strengthening democratic institutions, particularly in contexts marked by inequality, institutional fragility, and the legacy of armed conflict.
