20 October 2023, Bali, Indonesia – The Head of the Philippine Delegation to the 61st Session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) held in Nusa Dua, Bali on 16-20 October 2023, Ambassador Gina A. Jamoralin shared the Philippines’ experience and best practices  in implementing the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) instruments during a side event organized by HCCH Secretariat  on October 20, 2023 in Bali on the sidelines of the 61st AALCO Session. 

The HCCH based in The Hague, Netherlands, is an intergovernmental organization, the mandate of which is “the progressive unification of the rules of private international law.”   The Philippines has been a Member of the HCCH since 2010 and is currently a Contracting Party to five (5) HCCH Conventions: the 1961 Apostille Convention, the 1965 Service Convention, the 1980 Child Abduction Convention, the 1993 Adoption Convention, and the 2007 Child Support Convention.

For over 125 years the HCCH has brought nations together to develop legal frameworks designed to facilitate international mobility, transactions and dispute resolution for individuals, families, and companies across the globe.

The HCCH is composed of 91 Members – 90 States and the European Union.  The Philippines’ membership in the HCCH enables the country to engage in cross-border cooperation with the other member states not only in the Asian Region, but across the globe.  The Philippines’ membership in the HCCH allows it to apply established legal frameworks at the international level. It likewise removes obstacles for the country and its citizens in doing international transactions, such as in the case of the country’s membership in the Apostille Convention.

The Philippines hosted the Hague Conference on Private International Law Asia-Pacific Week Manila Conference on October 18-20, 2022, in Manila. The seminar in Manila provided participants to learn more about the work of the HCCH, invited experts from the Asia-Pacific region. END.