Publication of the HCCH 2024 Annual Report
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce the publication of the HCCH 2024 Annual Report.
Throughout the past year, the HCCH continued to advance its legislative work and to promote the effective operation of its Conventions, successfully convening the meetings of two Experts’ Group, eight Working Groups, and one Special Commission, the latter tasked with reviewing the practical operation of the 1965 Service, 1970 Evidence, and 1980 Access to Justice Conventions.
Other notable highlights included the introduction of Spanish as the third official language of the HCCH, the establishment of the Experts’ Group on CBDCs and the launch of the Digital Tokens Project, as well as the organisation of the first Forum on Domestic Violence and the Operation of Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention, the Fifth Conference on the HCCH Children’s Conventions as Bridges between Civil / Common Law and Islamic Law (Malta V), and the 13th International Forum on the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP), among many other events.
In parallel with these and other developments, in 2024 the HCCH network continued to expand. One State (Bahrain) applied for Membership, and there were 28 new signatures, accessions, or ratifications of HCCH Conventions and instruments, which continued to attract international interest.
Presenting the Annual Report at the opening session of the 2025 meeting of the Council on General Affairs and Policy, Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the HCCH, thanked the HCCH Members and Contracting Parties for their support and contributions to the successes of the past year.
The 2024 Annual Report is available for download in English, French, and Spanish.