Guyana set to host Hague Convention Conference 2016

Jul 04, 2016 News

AG, Basil Williams (left) with Marianne Flach, UNICEF Representative-Guyana and Suriname

The Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General’s Chambers, in partnership with the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Guyana, will be hosting the Hague Convention Conference under the theme “International Family Law, Legal Cooperation and Commerce; Promoting Human Rights and Cross-Border Trade in Guyana through the Hague Conventions.”

During a press conference held on Saturday at his office, Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams said that the conference will be held from July 13-15.

He said that the conference is to be attended by Attorneys General and Judges from CARICOM countries, the wider Caribbean including Curaçao, Aruba, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands and South American countries such as Brazil and Argentina. Local stakeholders include members of the local judiciary, the Child Care Protection Agency, the Bar Associations, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, non-governmental organisations relating to children and the Private Sector Commission.

President Brigadier David Granger will open the conference.

The Opening Ceremony is slated for July 13 at the Pegasus Hotel and will be attended by the Secretary General of the HCCH and the UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to Minister Williams, the conference will have two days of working sessions. On July 14, the focus will be on International Family Law and the Hague Conventions in this regard. The subjects of the sessions for this day will include the Child Abduction, Adoption, Child Protection and Child Maintenance Conventions and a discussion on the International Hague Network of Judges. On July 15, the focus will be on Legal Co-operation and Commerce and the Hague Conventions in this regard. The subjects of the sessions for this day will be the Service, Evidence and Access to Justice, Apostille and Choice of Court Conventions in addition to the e-App Programme and the Hague Choice of Law Principles.

As regards the purpose of the Conference, UNICEF Representative for Guyana-Ms. Marianne Flach, said that the objectives of the conference would be to increase local/regional knowledge and leadership in the subject matter of the Hague Conventions; establish a position for Guyana’s membership to the HCCH; appoint local (Guyana/Caribbean) judges to the Hague Judicial Network and develop of a road map for ratification of the Conventions.

Flach further explained the importance of the conference in light of migration and abduction in the form of adoption; issues which affect children worldwide. Many unaccompanied children migrate from Syria to Europe and many children from Guyana, Suriname, Haiti and Mexico are abducted in the form of adoptions. There is a need for laws in place to protect these children and this conference shows a proactive effort to put the legal systems is in place.

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