HCCH Monthly Update: November 2025

 

Conventions & Instruments

On 5 November 2025, Algeria deposited its instrument of accession to the 1961 Apostille Convention. With the ratification of Argentina, the Convention now has 58 Contracting Parties. With the accession of Algeria, the 1961 Apostille Convention now has 128 Contracting Parties. It will enter into force for Algeria on 9 July 2026. More information is available here.

On 27 November 2025, Monaco deposited its instrument of accession to the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. With the accession of Monaco, 38 States and the European Union are bound by the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. The Convention will enter into force for Monaco on 1 March 2026. More information is available here.

 

Meetings & Events

From 10 to 14 November 2025, the Working Group (WG) on Parentage / Surrogacy met for the fifth time. Pursuant to its mandate, the WG continued its consideration of draft provisions for one new instrument on legal parentage generally, including legal parentage following an international surrogacy arrangement, and finalised its report for the Council on General Affairs and Policy of the HCCH. More information is available here.

From 11 to 14 November 2025, the Permanent Bureau (PB) of the HCCH organised a series of events at COP30 in Brazil, partnering with the Latin American Climate Lawyers Initiative for Mobilizing Action and the Ministério Público Federal of Brazil. More information is available here.

From 18 to 20 November 2025, the Experts’ Group (EG) on Digital Tokens met for the second time. Pursuant to its mandate, the EG made further progress on the study of the private international law issues raised by digital tokens. More information is available here.

On 20 November 2025, the PB of the HCCH hosted HCCH a|Bridged – Edition 2025, dedicated to the 2019 Judgments Convention. International experts convened to discuss the Convention’s potential impact and champion its wider adoption. More information is available here.

On 25 November 2025, the third meeting of the WG established to finalise the Model Forms pertaining to Chapter II of the 1970 Evidence Convention was held online, hosted by the PB of the HCCH. More information is available here.

On 26 November 2025, the Working Party on Cross-Border Family Mediation in the Context of the Malta Process met online. More information is available here.

 

Other Developments

The PB of the HCCH has launched a public consultation on the Draft Text of a possible new convention on parallel proceedings and related actions, to be held from 18 November 2025 to 26 January 2026. Experts, practitioners and judges from diverse legal traditions with experience in cross-border litigation and private international law more broadly are encouraged to participate in the consultation. More information is available here.

 

Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the book launch celebrating the publication of The Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements: A Commentary, to be held in hybrid format on 11 December 2025 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. (CET). 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.