Tag Archive for: HCCH

HCCH Monthly Update: April 2025

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HCCH Monthly Update: April 2025

 

Membership

On 10 April 2025, Qatar applied to become a Member of the HCCH. On the same day, the Secretary General of the HCCH opened the six-month voting period during which all current Members of the HCCH may cast their vote on the proposal. Following this voting period, and provided a majority of votes are cast in favour, Qatar will be invited to become a Member by depositing an instrument of acceptance of the Statute of the HCCH. More information is available here.

 

Meetings & Events

From 2 to 4 April 2025, the conference “15 Years of the HCCH Washington Declaration: Progress and Perspectives on International Family Relocation” was held at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C., United States of America. The conference was jointly organised by the Embassy of Canada, the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), and the HCCH. More information is available here.

From 7 to 11 April 2025, the Working Group on Parentage / Surrogacy met for the fourth time. Pursuant to its mandate, the Working Group continued its consideration of draft provisions for one new instrument on legal parentage generally, including legal parentage resulting from an international surrogacy agreement. More information is available here.

On 30 April 2025, the seventh 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, hosted by the Permanent Bureau. More information is available here.

 

Upcoming Events

The webinar “HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention: Bridging Global Justice” will be held via Zoom on Tuesday 6 May 2025 from 4.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. (Hong Kong time), hosted by the HCCH’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Interested persons should register no later than this Friday, 2 May 2025, at 5.00 p.m. (Hong Kong time). 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.

HCCH Monthly Update: March 2025

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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.

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Legal Internships at the HCCH

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Applications are now open for three- to six-month legal internships at the headquarters of the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) in The Hague, for the period from July to December 2025!

Interns work with our legal teams in the Family and Child Protection Law Division, the Transnational Litigation and Apostille Division, and the Commercial, Digital and Financial Law Division. Duties may include carrying out research on particular points of private international law and/or comparative law, taking part in the preparation of HCCH meetings and contributing to the promotion of the HCCH and its work.

Applications should be submitted by Friday, 25 April 2025 at 18.00 (CEST). For more information, please visit the Internships Section of the HCCH website.

 

This post is published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference of Private International Law (HCCH).

 

HCCH about to establish Regional Office for Africa (ROAF)

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As was mentioned before on this blog, increasing the participation of African states in the HCCH appears to be the most promising avenue to strengthen judicial cooperation on the African continent in the context of intracontinental, interregional as well as global judicial integration. Following several unsuccessful attempts to establish a physical presence on the African continent,[1] the HCCH Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) has now warmly welcomed the Kingdom of Morocco’s proposal to host and, perhaps most importantly, entirely fund a HCCH Regional Office for Africa (ROAF) in Rabat.[2] Read more

HCCH Monthly Update: January 2025

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Conventions & Instruments

On 1 January 2025, the 2005 Choice of Court Convention entered into force for Switzerland. At present, 36 States and the European Union are bound by the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. More information is available here.

On 12 January 2025, the 2007 Child Support Convention entered into force for Cabo Verde. At present, 52 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Child Support Convention. More information is available here.

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HCCH Monthly Update: September 2024

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Conventions & Instruments

On 1 November 2024, the 2007 Child Support Convention entered into force for Kyrgyzstan. At present, 52 States and the European Union are bound by the 2007 Child Support Convention. More information is available here.

On 21 November 2024, North Macedonia deposited its instrument of ratification of the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. With the ratification of North Macedonia, 36 States and the European Union are bound by the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. It will enter into force for North Macedonia on 1 March 2025. More information is available here.

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The Moroccan Supreme Court on the Authenticity of an Apostillised Certificate of Conversion to Islam

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I. Introduction

As mentioned in a previous post, Morocco is not only the MENA Arab jurisdiction that has ratified the largest number of the HCCH Conventions (7 in total), but also a country where the HCCH conventions have been actively applied (see here on the application of the HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention, and here for a case involving the application of the HCCH 1996 Child Protection Convention). The application of the HCCH Conventions in Morocco offers valuable insights into how these HCCH instruments operate within an Islamic context, challenging the widely held assumption of the existence of an Islamic exceptionalism (though such exceptionalism does exist, but to a varying degree across the Muslim-majority countries. See e.g. Béligh Elbalti, “The Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Filiation Judgments in Arab Countries” in Nadjma Yassari et al. (ed.), Filiation and the Protection of Parentless Children (T.M.C. Asser Press, 2019), 373-402).

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HCCH Monthly Update: September 2024

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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.

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13th International Forum on the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP)

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The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) will be hosting the 13th International Forum on the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP) together the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan and the Maqsut Narikbayev University on 21 and 22 October 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The full announcement reads as follows:

The e-APP is an integral part of the operation of the HCCH 1961 Apostille Convention. The e-APP is designed to ensure the practical, effective and secure operation of the Apostille Convention in an environment of constant technological development.

The International Forum on the e-APP gathers experts and stakeholders from around the world and provides a unique international platform for governments, organisations, and the private sector to learn more about the benefits of the e-APP, to promote its effective implementation, and to discuss the latest developments in relation to the e-APP worldwide.

The e-APP Forum will be held for the first time in Central Asia and will be jointly organized by the HCCH, the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan, and the Maqsut Narikbayev University. Participants are encouraged to attend this event in person, if possible.

Registration is possible here.

 

Formation of the Australasian Association of Private International Law

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At a meeting on 11 July 2024, 22 lawyers and academics voted to form the Australasian Association of Private International Law (AAPrIL).  Professor Mary Keyes (Griffith University) was elected the inaugural President and the Honourable Dr Andrew Bell, Chief Justice of New South Wales, has agreed to be AAPrIL’s patron.

The AAPrIL’s first elected officers are as follows:

  • President: Professor Mary Keyes (Griffith University, Queensland)
  • Secretary: Professor Reid Mortensen (University of Southern Queensland)
  • Treasurer: Ms Cara North (Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Melbourne)
  • Australian Vice-President: Dr Michael Douglas (Bennett, Perth)
  • New Zealand Vice-President: Mr Jack Wass (Stout Street Chambers, Wellington)

AAPrIL has been established to promoted understanding, awareness and the reform of private international law in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and to provide a regional organisation for cooperation with similar private international law associations across the world.  It plans to hold an annual conference, support regular seminars and roundtables, engage with governments in Australasia on private international law issues and reform, publish a regular newsletter on events and legal developments in the region, and encourage cooperation with the Hague Conference on Private International Law and other private international law inter-governmental organisations.

More details about AAPrIL can be found on its website.  Any enquiries can be made to AAPrIL’s Secretary, Professor Reid Mortensen: reid.mortensen@unisq.edu.au.