HCCH Monthly Update: March 2025
Membership
On 5 March 2025, Rwanda deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute, becoming the 92nd Member of the HCCH. On the same day, Guatemala applied to become a Member of the HCCH. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 September 2024, the 2007 Child Support Convention and the 2007 Maintenance Obligations Protocol entered into force for Georgia. At present, 51 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Child Support Convention, while 33 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Maintenance Obligations Protocol. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 14 March 2024, Angola deposited its instrument of accession to the 1993 Adoption Convention. With the accession of Angola, the 1993 Adoption Convention now has 106 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
On 14 March 2024, Moldova deposited its instrument of accession to the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. With the accession of Moldova, 33 States and the European Union are bound by the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. More information is available here.
On 21 March 2024, El Salvador deposited its instrument of accession to the 1965 Service Convention and the Dominican Republic deposited its instruments of accession to the 1965 Service Convention and the 2007 Child Support Convention. More information is available here.
Meetings & Events
From 5 to 8 March 2024, the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH met in The Hague, with over 429 participants joining both in person and online. HCCH Members reviewed progress made to date and agreed on the work programme for the year ahead in terms of normative, non-normative and governance work. More information is available here.
On 22 March 2024, the Permanent Bureau hosted the webinar “HCCH 2005 Choice of Court Convention: Fostering Access to Justice for Cross-Border Commerce in the Asia Pacific Region”.
Publications
On 8 March 2023, the Permanent Bureau announced the publication of the HCCH 2023 Annual Report. 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.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 February 2024, the 2007 Child Support Convention entered into force for Canada. At present, 49 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Child Support Convention. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 December 2023, the 1965 Service Convention entered into force for Singapore. The Convention currently has 82 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
On 1 January 2024, the 1965 Service Convention entered into force for Paraguay. The Convention currently has 82 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
On 9 January 2024, Cabo Verde deposited its instrument of accession to the 2007 Child Support Convention. With the accession of Cabo Verde, 49 States and the European Union are bound by the Convention. More information is available here.
On 11 January 2024, the 1961 Apostille Convention entered into force for Canada. The Convention currently has 126 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
On 12 January 2024, the United Kingdom signed the 2019 Judgments Convention. The Convention will enter into force for the United Kingdom only after the deposit of an instrument of ratification (pursuant to Art. 28(2) of the Convention). Currently, 29 HCCH Members are either bound by the 2019 Judgments Convention or a Contracting Party for which the Convention has not yet entered into force (Uruguay). More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 November 2023, Canada deposited its instrument of ratification of, and Kyrgyzstan its instrument of accession to, the 2007 Child Support Convention. At present, 48 States and the European Union are bound by the Convention. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 6 October 2023, Rwanda deposited its instrument of accession to the HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention and applied to become a Member of the HCCH. Following a six-month voting period, and provided a majority of votes have been cast in its favour, Rwanda will be invited to become a Member by accepting the Statute of the HCCH. With the accession of Rwanda, the 1961 Apostille Convention now has 126 Contracting Parties. It will enter into force for Rwanda on 5 June 2024. More information is available here.
On 27 October 2023, Canada deposited its instrument of ratification of, and Kyrgyzstan its instrument of accession to, the HCCH 2007 Child Support Convention. With the ratification of Canada and the accession of Kyrgyzstan, 48 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Child Support Convention. It will enter into force for Canada on 1 February 2024 and for Kyrgyzstan on 1 November 2024. The application of the Convention in Canada will extend to the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 12 May 2023, Canada deposited its instrument of accession to the 1961 Apostille Convention. This accession marked a historical milestone: the 1000th treaty action relating to an HCCH Convention or Protocol. The 1961 Apostille Convention, which now has 125 Contracting Parties, will enter into force for Canada on 11 January 2024. More information is available here.
On 16 May 2023, North Macedonia signed the 2019 Judgments Convention. The Convention, which currently has 28 Contracting Parties, will enter into force in September 2023, and for North Macedonia only after the deposit of an instrument of ratification (pursuant to Art. 28(2) of the Convention). More information is available here.
On 16 May 2023, Singapore deposited its instrument of accession to the 1965 Service Convention. The Convention, which now has 81 Contracting Parties, will enter into force for Singapore on 1 December 2023 subject to the Article 28 procedure. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 February 2023, the 1980 Child Abduction Convention entered into force for Botswana. The Convention currently has 103 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
On 17 February 2023, Azerbaijan deposited its instrument of accession to the 1965 Service and 2007 Child Support Conventions. The 1965 Service Convention, which now has 80 Contracting Parties, will enter into force for Azerbaijan on 1 September 2023, subject to the Article 28 procedure. As for the 2007 Child Support Convention, with the accession of Azerbaijan 46 States and the European Union are now bound by it. It will enter into force for Azerbaijan on 28 February 2024. More information is available here.
Meetings & Events
On 7 and 8 February 2023, the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH co-organised the Regional Conference “The HCCH and the relevance of its work for Southern Africa”, together with Finland and South Africa, with the participation of Namibia and Tanzania, as well as other Southern African Development Community States, and hosted by the University of Pretoria (South Africa). More information is available here.
From 13 to 15 February 2023, the International Transfer of Maintenance Funds Experts’ Group met for the fourth time. Pursuant to its mandate, the Experts’ Group continued its work discussing good practices in relation to the cross-border transfer of maintenance payments, with a view to identifying solutions that are cost-effective, transparent, prompt, efficient and accessible. More information is available here.
From 13 to 17 February 2023, the Working Group on Matters Related to Jurisdiction in Transnational Civil or Commercial Litigation met for the fourth time. Pursuant to its mandate, the Working Group made further progress on the development of draft provisions for a possible future instrument on parallel litigation in civil or commercial matters. More information is available here.
Upcoming Events
Registrations are open for the conference “The HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention: Cornerstones – Prospects – Outlook”, which will be held in person on 9-10 June 2023 at the University of Bonn in Germany. More information is available here.
Vacancies
Applications are now open for three- to six-month legal internships for the period from July to December 2023. The deadline for the submission of applications is 31 March 2023 (18:00 CEST). 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.
Conventions & Instruments
On 4 June 2022, the HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention entered into force for Indonesia. The Convention currently has 122 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
On 22 June 2022, the Philippines deposited its instrument of ratification of the HCCH 2007 Child Support Convention. With this ratification, 44 States and the European Union are now bound by the Child Support Convention. It will enter into force for the Philippines on 1 October 2022. More information is available here.
Meetings & Events
On 1 and 2 June, the HCCH Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean organised a judicial training on the HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention in partnership with the Judicial School of Bolivia.
On 23 and 24 June, the HCCH participated in the Conference on Conflicts of Jurisdiction organised by the Journal of Private International Law and the Singapore Management University. More information is available here.
On 30 June and 1 July, the HCCH participated in the Regional Forum “HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention: Prospects for the Western Balkans”, organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Center for International Legal Cooperation. More information is available here.
Upcoming Events
The webinar “Cross-border Commercial Dispute Resolution – HCCH 2005 Choice of Court and 2019 Judgments Conventions”, organised in partnership with the Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI), will be held on 27 July 2022. More information is available here.
The inaugural 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 in the digital economy and fintech industries as well as clarifying the roles of core HCCH instruments: the 1985 Trusts Convention, the 2006 Securities Convention, and the 2015 Choice of Law Principles. 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.