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On 3 June 2025, the Host Seat Agreement between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) was signed in Rabat, establishing the Regional Office for Africa of the HCCH. The Agreement was signed by H.E. Mr Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, and Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the HCCH. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr Rachid Ouadifi, Director of Civil Affairs and Legal and Judicial Professions at Morocco’s Ministry of Justice, which serves as the Central Authority for HCCH Conventions and legal instruments.

The next day, approximately 50 Ambassadors from African and Arab countries gathered in Rabat to mark this important moment. They were introduced to the work of the HCCH and its key Conventions and had the opportunity to discuss how their States could benefit from closer cooperation with the HCCH through the Regional Office in Rabat.

The Regional Office in Rabat will serve as a vital platform to disseminate and promote the work of the HCCH across the African continent. It will also strengthen Africa's voice within the HCCH and help foster an “Africa-for-Africa” approach, drawing on Morocco's rich experience as a Member of the HCCH (since 1993) and as a Contracting Party to seven HCCH Conventions.

The Council on General Affairs and Policy of the HCCH approved the opening of the Regional Office during its meeting in March 2025. This brings the number of Regional Offices to three, including the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Hong Kong SAR, China. The Permanent Bureau is deeply grateful to the Moroccan authorities for their unwavering support and commitment to this pivotal initiative, and to the Regional Office for Africa of the HCCH and its work.