INCADAT — New sponsors and launch of notification service
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce several notable developments with regard to the HCCH’s International Child Abduction Database (INCADAT), the only global, free legal database on international child abduction law. Offered as part of the HCCH’s post-Convention work, INCADAT facilitates the research of cases within the scope of application of the 1980 Child Abduction...
Meeting of the Working Party on Mediation
On 13 June 2025, the Working Party on Cross-Border Family Mediation in the Context of the Malta Process (Working Party on Mediation) met online. The meeting was attended by over 30 participants representing 13 HCCH Members and 1 Observer State, three independent experts as well as by members of the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH. During the meeting, the independent experts made presentations...
HCCH Judicial Roundtable
On 22 May 2025, the HCCH Judicial Roundtable was held in Singapore, co-hosted by the Singapore Family Justice Courts and the HCCH. It was preceded by the 4th Global Meeting of the IHNJ, which took place from 19 to 21 May 2025. Organised in conjunction with the 3rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Family Judges Forum, the HCCH Judicial Roundtable brought together over 65 judges from...
Fourth Global Meeting of the International Hague Network of Judges
From 19 to 21 May 2025, the Fourth Global Meeting of the International Hague Network of Judges (IHNJ) was held in Singapore, co-hosted by the Singapore Family Justice Courts and the HCCH. It was attended by over 50 judges representing 34 HCCH Members. The meeting consisted of 18 sessions, bringing together experts from over 20 States. Following the opening remarks, the first session set the...
Conference “15 Years of the HCCH Washington Declaration: Progress and Perspectives on International Family Relocation”
From 2 to 4 April 2025, the conference “15 Years of the HCCH Washington Declaration: Progress and Perspectives on International Family Relocation” was held at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C., United States of America. The conference was jointly organised by the Embassy of Canada, the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), and the HCCH. This conference took place...
Update on the Judges' Newsletter on International Child Protection
The PB is pleased to announce the publication of the Vol. XXV / Spring-Summer 2024 edition of the Judges' Newsletter on International Child Protection (Judges’ Newsletter). The Judges’ Newsletter provides information on the latest developments relating to the HCCH Children’s Conventions, with the intention of facilitating judicial cooperation in the field of international child...
Informal brainstorming session on future meetings of the Special Commission on the 1980 Child Abduction and 1996 Child Protection Conventions
From 18 to 21 November 2024, an informal brainstorming session on future meetings of the Special Commission (SC) on the 1980 Child Abduction and 1996 Child Protection Conventions was held online, hosted by the Permanent Bureau (PB) in The Hague. It was attended by over 80 participants representing 29 Members, as well as by members of the PB. As mandated by the Council on General Affairs and...
Fifth Conference on the HCCH Children’s Conventions as Bridges between Civil / Common Law and Islamic Law (Malta V)
From 24 to 27 September 2024, the HCCH and the Government of Malta co-hosted the Fifth Conference on the HCCH Children’s Conventions as Bridges between Civil / Common Law and Islamic Law (Malta V) (see Conclusion and Decision No 30 of CGAP 2024). The conference was organised within the framework of the Malta Process, initiated by the HCCH in 2004 to facilitate dialogue and promote...
Forum on Domestic Violence and the Operation of Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention
From 18 to 21 June 2024, the HCCH co-hosted the Forum on Domestic Violence and the Operation of Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention with the Government of South Africa and the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Child Law (see Conclusion and Decision No 31 of CGAP 2024). With about 100 attendees joining in person and a total of over 340 connecting online from around the...
Forum on Domestic Violence and the Operation of Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention
From 18 to 21 June 2024, the HCCH will hold a Forum on domestic violence and the related operation of Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention in Sandton, South Africa, co-hosted with the Government of South Africa and the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Child Law (see Conclusion and Decision No 31 of CGAP 2024). The Forum will bring together relevant parties with...