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 14 May 2024, Georgia deposited its instrument of ratification of the 2007 Child Support Convention and of the 2007 Maintenance Obligations Protocol. With the ratification of Georgia, 51 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Child Support Convention, while 32 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Maintenance Obligations Protocol. More information is available here.
Meetings & Events
On 14 May 2024, the kick-off meeting of the Experts’ Group (EG) on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) was held online. Pursuant to its mandate, the EG will study the applicable law and jurisdiction issues raised by the cross-border use and transfers of CBDCs. More information is available here.
From 14 to 17 May 2024, the First Regional Meeting of Judges of the International Hague Network of Judges (IHNJ) from Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the aim of fostering discussion on the proper and effective implementation of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention. More information is available here.
On 15 May 2024, the kick-off meeting of the Digital Tokens Project was held online. Under this project, the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH, in partnership with relevant subject-matter experts and Observers, is studying the private international law issues relating to digital tokens. More information is available here.
On 17 and 21 May 2024, the first meetings of the Working Groups on the Practical Handbooks and Country Profiles for the 1965 Service and 1970 Convention were held online. More information is available here.
On 29 May 2024, the first meeting of the Working Group established to complete the Country Profile and work on the draft Cooperation Request Recommended Model Form for the 1996 Child Protection Convention was held online. More information is available here.
Calls for Tender
The HCCH recently published a call for tenders for the development of electronic Country Profiles (e-Country Profiles) for a number of key HCCH Conventions. The deadline for the submission of tenders is 27 August 2024 (17:00 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 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.
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce that a colloquium on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), titled “CODIFI Edition 2023 – CBDCs”, will be held online on Thursday 5 October 2023, following the mandate of the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) at its 2023 meeting (C&D No 17).
CODIFI Edition 2023 – CBDCs will cover selected topics related to the HCCH’s CBDCs Project, established by CGAP in March 2023 with the mandate to study the private international law implications of CBDCs. The colloquium will feature a series of pre-recorded video discussions, led by subject-matter experts of the CBDCs Project and other specialists of academia, government, and industry. Live discussion sessions will also take place on the same day to summarise the proceedings and provide more insights and some ideas on the way forward.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 July 2023, the 2000 Protection of Adults Convention entered into force for Malta. The Convention currently has 15 Contracting Parties. More information is available here.
Meetings & Events
On 12 June 2023, the kick-off meeting of the Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) Project was held online. During the meeting experts laid the foundation for the preparatory and exploratory work relating to the CBDCs Project, which will study the private international law implications of CBDCs. More information is available here.