Saudi Arabia accedes to the Apostille Convention
Today, 8 April 2022, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention). The ceremony was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Depositary for the HCCH Conventions. Saudi Arabia was represented by H.E. Mr Ziad Al Atiyah,...
Save the Date: HCCH Conference on Commercial, Digital and Financial Law Across Borders (CODIFI)
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce that following the mandate of the Council on General Affairs and Policy at its 2022 meeting (see C&Ds Nos 14, 34 and 36), the inaugural HCCH CODIFI Conference will be held online from 12 to 16 September 2022. CODIFI will examine issues of private international law in the Commercial, Digital, and Financial (CODIFI) sectors, highlighting developments...
Eleventh meeting of the Experts’ Group on Parentage / Surrogacy
From 28 March to 1 April 2022, the HCCH Experts’ Group on Parentage / Surrogacy met for the eleventh time. The meeting was held via videoconference and was attended by 30 experts representing 20 Member States, one Member Regional Economic Integration Organisation and three Observers, as well as members of the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH. The Group discussed the content of the final report...
Information Note - Children deprived of their family environment due to the armed conflict in Ukraine
The Permanent Bureau of the HCCH, noting the situation currently unfolding in Ukraine, has published today an Information Note on the subject of Children deprived of their family environment due to the armed conflict in Ukraine: Cross-border protection and intercountry adoption. In an international armed conflict, many children become separated from their families, losing the critical protection...
HCCH a|Bridged – Edition 2021: Publication now available
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce the launch of the post-event publication of HCCH a|Bridged - Edition 2021. Held online in December 2021, the latest edition of the HCCH a|Bridged series focused on contemporary issues relating to the application of the Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements (the 2005 Choice of Court Convention), including the promotion of party...
Council on General Affairs and Policy – Conclusions & Decisions now available!
The Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH met online from 28 February to 4 March 2022, with over 450 participants representing 75 HCCH Members, 5 non-Member States, 16 observer organisations and members of the Permanent Bureau. The Conclusions & Decisions adopted by CGAP are now available in English and French. In terms of normative work, CGAP approved the publication of...
CGAP 2022: New Members, ratifications and signatures
On 2 March 2022, the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH welcomed El Salvador as the newest Member of the Organisation. It also witnessed Ecuador and the United States of America sign and/or ratify a number of HCCH Conventions and instruments. H.E. Ms Carmen María Gallardo Hernández, Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands,...
Publication of the HCCH 2021 Annual Report
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce the publication of the HCCH 2021 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 five Experts’ Groups and five Working Groups via videoconference. The Special Commission on the practical operation of the 1961...
Launch of consultations on the Draft Practical Handbook on the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce the launch of consultations on the draft Practical Handbook on the Operation of the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention. Following preparatory work by the Permanent Bureau, and pursuant to the mandate issued by the Council on General Affairs and Policy, a Working Group was established in March 2021 to finalise the development of the draft Practical...
Second meeting of the Working Group on Jurisdiction
From 14 to 18 February 2022, the Working Group on Matters Related to Jurisdiction in Transnational Civil or Commercial Litigation met via videoconference for the second time. The meeting was attended by 63 experts representing 26 Member States, one Member Regional Economic Integration Organisation and two Observers, as well as by members of the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH. The Group made...