The Philippines, as an active Member of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, will be hosting this year the HCCH Asia Pacific Week Manila 2022 conference on 18 to 20 October in Manila, in close coordination of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and the Embassy of the Philippines in The Hague.
With the theme “Enabling cross-border cooperation in the region and beyond,” the conference sessions will provide a unique opportunity for participants to learn more about the HCCH and its work, to engage with experts from across Asia and the Pacific, and to consider regional experiences and perspectives.
Keynote messages will be delivered by Secretary of Foreign Affairs H.E. Enrique A. Manalo, Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and HCCH Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi.
“It is hoped that the conference will serve as a platform to encourage states across Asia and the Pacific in joining the HCCH and its Conventions. These instruments are all the more important as it manifests in concrete manner the relevance of our work and affirm the vital function of diplomacy and international law as having direct impact and benefit to people,” Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya said.
For over 125 years, the HCCH has been a respected forum for effective multilateralism, bringing nations together to develop legal frameworks designed to facilitate international mobility, transactions, and dispute resolution for individuals, families, and companies across the globe. In pursuit of its mandate, the HCCH strives for the progressive unification of the rules of private international law, adopting Conventions and instruments spanning three main areas: International Family and Child Protection Law, Transnational Litigation and Cooperation, as well as International Commercial, Digital and Financial Law.
HCCH Conventions are widely used in practice, helping individuals, families, and companies, involved in cross-border situations by providing solutions to questions concerning jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of judgement, as well as establishing effective cooperation mechanisms between and among States. In this age of globalization, cross-border interactions are commonplace, highlighting the importance of private international law and by extension, the work of the HCCH with its direct, postive impact on people’s lives.
The Philippines became a Member of the HCCH in 2010. Out of the 39 HCCH Conventions, the Philippines is a Contracting State to five namely the Intercountry Adoption Convention, Child Abduction Convention, Apostille Convention, Service Convention, and most recently, the Child Support Convention.
Interested members of the international legal community may register at https://apwmanila2022.law.upd.edu.ph or by scanning the QR code below. // END