Apostille Convention enters into force for Guyana
On 18 April 2019, the HCCH Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention) entered into force for Guyana, following the deposit of its instrument of accession on 30 July 2018. The Apostille Convention currently has 117 Contracting Parties. While not a Member State of the HCCH yet, Guyana is currently Party to...
African Regional Conference on the HCCH Children’s Conventions
From 2 to 3 April 2019, 149 senior government officials, judges, legal practitioners, academics, social service practitioners, researchers and other experts from Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Guinea, Israel, Japan, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, United Kingdom (England and Scotland), United States of...
International Symposium on Family Mediation in Singapore
On 29 March 2019, the Family Mediation Symposium convened at the Auditorium of the Supreme Court of Singapore. The Symposium brought together more than 130 experts and practitioners in the field of family mediation to discuss issues and challenges in mediating family disputes, both in a domestic and in a cross-border context. This event, a joint collaboration between the Family Justice Courts of...
Save the date: 11th International Forum on the e-APP
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce that the 11th International Forum on the e-APP (electronic Apostille Programme) will take place in Fortaleza (Brazil), from Wednesday 16 to Friday 18 October 2019. For over a decade, the e-APP has contributed to the facilitation of the effective and secure operation of the HCCH Convention on Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public...
Child Protection Convention entered into force for Fiji
On 1 April 2019, 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") entered into force for Fiji, following the deposit of its instrument of accession on 5 June 2018. The Child Protection Convention currently has...
Available now: Practical Handbook on the Operation of the 1996 HCCH Child Protection Convention in all official languages of the EU
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce that the Practical Handbook on the Operation of the 1996 Hague Child Protection Convention is now available in all official languages of the European Union. The European Commission (DG Justice) generously provided translations into the official languages of the European Union, with the exception of English, French and Spanish, which had already been...
Council on General Affairs and Policy
The Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) met from 5 to 8 March 2019, with record attendance, representing 70 Members (including one Member REIO (EU)), 3 non-Member States, and other Observers from 3 IGOs / 9 NGOs. CGAP reviewed the work of the HCCH carried out since the last meeting in 2018 and charted the course for future work. Amongst others, CGAP welcomed the advice of the...
Honduras signs and ratifies the Intercountry Adoption Convention and requests Membership in the HCCH
On 6 March 2019, Dr Lolis María Salas Montes, Executive Director of the Directorate for Children, Adolescents and Family (DINAF), signed and ratified on behalf of the Republic of Honduras the HCCH Convention of 29 May 1993 on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Intercountry Adoption Convention). With the signature and ratification of Honduras,...
Guyana accedes to the Intercountry Adoption Convention and the Child Support Convention
On 6 March 2019, during the meeting of the Council on General Affairs and Policy, the Depositary informed Council that on 5 February 2019, Guyana had deposited its instrument of accession to the HCCH Convention of 29 May 1993 on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Intercountry Adoption Convention), making it the 100th Contracting Party to the...
Nicaragua accedes to the 1970 Evidence and 1996 Child Protection Conventions
On 27 February 2019, Nicaragua deposited its instrument of accession to the HCCH Convention of 18 March 1970 on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters (“Evidence Convention”). The Evidence Convention, which now has 62 Contracting Parties, will enter into force for Nicaragua on 28 April 2019. On the same day, Nicaragua also deposited its instrument of accession to...