Congo: A new Contracting Party to the Adoption Convention and a 154th connected State to the HCCH!

The Permanent Bureau has been informed that on 11 December 2019, the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (“Adoption Convention”). The Adoption Convention, which now has 102 Contracting Parties, will enter into force for the...

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North Macedonia signs 3 HCCH Conventions and 1 Protocol

On 9 December 2019, the Republic of North Macedonia signed the Convention of 19 October 1996 on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children (Child Protection Convention), the Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements (Choice of Court Convention), the Convention of 23...

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New Zealand signs the HCCH 2007 Child Support Convention

On 26 November 2019, New Zealand signed the HCCH Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (Child Support Convention). The next step for the Child Support Convention to enter into force in New Zealand is ratification, pursuant to Arts 58 and 60. More information on the Convention, which currently binds 41 parties, is...

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Austria signs the HCCH Service Convention

On 22 November 2019, Austria signed the HCCH Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters (Service Convention). The Service Convention, which currently has 75 Contracting Parties, will enter into force for Austria only after it has formally ratified the Convention (pursuant to Arts 26 and 27). More...

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30th Anniversary of the UNCRC

Today, 20 November 2019, marks the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).  Recognising the importance of this milestone in the development of children’s rights, the HCCH also wishes to recall the role played by the following HCCH Children’s Conventions and Protocol in the day-to-day implementation of the UNCRC worldwide:  ...

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Sixth meeting of the Experts’ Group on Parentage / Surrogacy

From 29 October to 1 November 2019, the Experts’ Group on Parentage / Surrogacy met for the sixth time in The Hague. The meeting was attended by 22 Experts from different States, three observers and members of the Permanent Bureau.  The mandate of the Group is “to explore the feasibility of advancing work (…) on the private international law issues surrounding the status...

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iSupport – new EU grant

The Permanent Bureau of the HCCH is pleased to announce a new successful EU Action Grant application for iSupport. This new project will be called iSupport ISD (Information, Statistics and Design), as it will aim to provide better information for parties and caseworkers, facilitate the production of statistics for Central Authorities and modernise the design of the software. iSupport is an...

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Palau accedes to the Apostille Convention

On 17 October 2019, the Republic of Palau deposited its instrument of accession to the HCCH Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (HCCH Apostille Convention). With the accession of Palau, the HCCH Apostille Convention now has 118 Contracting Parties; it will enter into force for Palau on 23 June 2020. Palau joins other small island...

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