Approximately 260 experts meet in The Hague to review the practical operation of the Hague Abduction and Child Protection Conventions

The Hague Conference on Private International Law will convene the Sixth Meeting of the Special Commission to review the practical operation of the Hague Abduction and Child Protection Conventions from 1-10 June 2011. Both Conventions are important, widely ratified multilateral instruments which protect the safety and welfare of children all over the world.    The 1980 Hague...

read more


The Secretary General addresses the Council of Europe's Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law

At the 41st meeting of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law of the Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg on 17-18 March 2011, the Secretary General of the Hague Conference made a statement on the interaction between recent case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. For...

read more



Significant Milestones for e-APP for Europe Project

PRESS RELEASE Significant Milestones for e-APP for Europe Project: Spain issues its first e-Apostilles and starts operating a central e-Register using state-of-the-art e-APP technology This week Spain issued and registered its first e-Apostilles using state-of-the-art technology developed under the e-APP (electronic Apostille Pilot Program) for Europe project, thus becoming the...

read more


Oman joins the Apostille Convention as 101st Contracting State

On Thursday 12 May 2011, the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman, H.E. Mr Sayyid Mohammed Harib 'Abdallah Al-Said, deposited Oman's instrument of accession to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents ("Apostille Convention"). As a result, Oman has become the 101st Contracting State to the Apostille Convention. In a short ceremony at...

read more


Mexico Inter-American Meeting

Mexico Inter-American Meeting of International Hague Network Judges and Central Authorities on International Child Abduction (Mexico, 23-25 February 2011) Purpose of the Meeting The meeting was organized to discuss how to improve, among the countries represented, the operation of the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the 1980 Hague Child...

read more


Cross-frontier surrogacy issues added to Hague Conference work programme

PRESS RELEASE Cross-Frontier Surrogacy Issues Added to Hague Conference Work Programme On Thursday, 7 April 2011, the Hague Conference on Private International Law's Council on General Affairs and Policy invited its Permanent Bureau to intensify its work on the broad range of issues arising from international surrogacy arrangements. International surrogacy cases often involve...

read more



Finnish-Russian Expert Conference on International Child and Family Law

On Wednesday 23 March 2011, a Finnish-Russian Expert Conference was held in Helsinki to discuss questions related to international child and family law. The Permanent Bureau was invited to participate in this meeting and was represented by Deputy Secretary General William Duncan. In the discussions, emphasis was laid on the central principles of the United Nations Convention...

read more


Haiti signs Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention

The Hague Conference on Private International Law is pleased to announce that on 2 March 2011 the Republic of Haiti signed the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption. By signing the Convention, the Republic of Haiti signals its wish and intention to reform its child protection system, as well as its intercountry adoption...

read more