New Convention on International Child Support Signed Today
“This Convention establishes a comprehensive system of cooperation among child support authorities, which we believe will result in more children receiving more support more quickly.” (USA delegation)
A new global Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and other Forms of Family Maintenance has just been finalised under the auspices of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Just after the adoption of the Final Act, the United Stated of America become the first signatory of the new Convention. The Convention aims to resolve the problems of unpaid or uncollectible child support. I posted a brief report about the work in progress on this Convention just a couple of weeks ago.
A new global Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and other Forms of Family Maintenance has just been finalised under the auspices of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Just after the adoption of the Final Act, the United Stated of America become the first signatory of the new Convention. The Convention aims to resolve the problems of unpaid or uncollectible child support. I posted a brief report about the work in progress on this Convention just a couple of weeks ago.
I had the opportunity to follow the negotiations since I worked as a recording secretary at the Diplomatic Session. I have the pleasure to report that the role played by Professor Beaumont gives the School of Law at the University of Aberdeen much to be proud of. Professor Beaumont was a Delegate of the United Kingdom, but more importantly he was a delegate who built bridges and sought compromises that made the success of the negotiations possible. He chaired a working party that accomplished important agreements late in the negotiations, and he was also a member of the Drafting Committee and several other working groups.
Delegates from 68 States, the European Community, and other organizations represented by, in total, 268 experts, attended the Diplomatic Session on the International Recovery of Child Support & other Forms of Family Maintenance from 5 November – 23 November 2007. 68 States and the European Community signed the Final Act of the Session in the presence of representatives from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassadors of Member States and other Diplomatic Representatives.
This was followed by the signing of the Convention by the United States of America. The example set by the USA is expected to be followed soon. The United States delegation stated the following:
The United States is delighted to sign the new Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support, which we believe represents a major step forward in the development of a global system for enforcement of child support obligations in transnational cases. Every child deserves the support of both the child’s parents. And yet recovering child support when the child and one parent are in one country and the other parent is in another is difficult and often impossible. The legal and practical obstacles often mean that little or no support ever reaches the parent and child. Given the importance of this topic to U.S. families, and because the number of transnational cases will continue to increase, the United States has been an active participant in this negotiation. This new convention is necessary to modernize and improve the existing international system, which is outdated and does not meet the needs of an increasingly global world.
As stated in the Preamble of the new Convention, what is needed is a system which produces results, and is accessible, prompt, efficient, cost-effective, responsive and fair. The Convention is designed to achieve those goals. In particular, the Convention establishes a comprehensive system of cooperation among child support authorities, which we believe will result in more children receiving more support more quickly.
We are pleased to have signed the Convention, and we hope that other States, from every region of the world, will quickly join us. We look forward to working with other States and the Hague Conference on the important work of implementing this Convention in the United States and all around the world.
The official press release concluded that, together with the existing Hague Children’s Conventions, like International Child Abduction (1980), Inter-Country Adoption (1993), and International Child Protection (1996), the new Convention will now form part of the formidable arsenal of international instruments designed by the Hague Conference to give practical effect to the Rights of the Child.
This was followed by the signing of the Convention by the United States of America. The example set by the USA is expected to be followed soon. The United States delegation stated the following:
The United States is delighted to sign the new Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support, which we believe represents a major step forward in the development of a global system for enforcement of child support obligations in transnational cases. Every child deserves the support of both the child’s parents. And yet recovering child support when the child and one parent are in one country and the other parent is in another is difficult and often impossible. The legal and practical obstacles often mean that little or no support ever reaches the parent and child. Given the importance of this topic to U.S. families, and because the number of transnational cases will continue to increase, the United States has been an active participant in this negotiation. This new convention is necessary to modernize and improve the existing international system, which is outdated and does not meet the needs of an increasingly global world.
As stated in the Preamble of the new Convention, what is needed is a system which produces results, and is accessible, prompt, efficient, cost-effective, responsive and fair. The Convention is designed to achieve those goals. In particular, the Convention establishes a comprehensive system of cooperation among child support authorities, which we believe will result in more children receiving more support more quickly.
We are pleased to have signed the Convention, and we hope that other States, from every region of the world, will quickly join us. We look forward to working with other States and the Hague Conference on the important work of implementing this Convention in the United States and all around the world.
The official press release concluded that, together with the existing Hague Children’s Conventions, like International Child Abduction (1980), Inter-Country Adoption (1993), and International Child Protection (1996), the new Convention will now form part of the formidable arsenal of international instruments designed by the Hague Conference to give practical effect to the Rights of the Child.
Comments