HCCH Monthly Update: October 2020
Membership
On 21 October 2020, Nicaragua deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute, becoming the 86th Member of the HCCH. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 October 2020, the HCCH 1965 Service Convention entered into force for the Philippines. It currently has 78 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
On 23 October 2020, Serbia deposited its instrument of ratification of the HCCH 2007 Child Support Convention. With this ratification, 41 States and the European Union are now bound by the Convention, which will enter into force for Serbia on 1 February 2021. More information is available here.
On 25 October 2020, the HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention and HCCH 1980 Access to Justice Convention celebrated their respective 40th anniversaries, having been adopted at the Fourteenth Session. More information is available here.
On 29 October 2020, Costa Rica deposited its instrument of accession to the HCCH 1996 Child Protection Convention. It now has 53 Contracting Parties and will enter into force for Costa Rica on 1 August 2021. More information is available here.
Meetings & Events
From 6 to 9 October 2020, the Experts’ Group on the Tourists and Visitors (ODR) Project met for the third time, via videoconference. The meeting focused on the necessity, desirability, and feasibility of a soft law instrument on matters relating to online dispute resolution (ODR). More information is available here.
From 12 to 16 October 2020, the Experts’ Group on Parentage / Surrogacy met for the seventh time, via videoconference. The meeting focused on developing possible provisions for a general private international law instrument on the recognition of foreign judicial decisions on legal parentage and a separate protocol on the recognition of foreign judicial decisions on legal parentage rendered as a result of an international surrogacy arrangement. More information is available here.
On 29 October 2020, the HCCH, together with the University of Bonn, co-hosted an online roundtable discussion of the prospects for judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters between the EU and third countries. This event was a precursor to the conference ‘The HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention’ which is being held in September 2021, jointly organised by the University of Bonn and HCCH. More information is available here.
Publications & Documentation
Following its approval last month, the Permanent Bureau has released the official publication of the Explanatory Report on the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention. An electronic copy of the Report is now available for download, in English and French, and hard copies are available for purchase from our website. More information is available here.
These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.