Hosted by the Philippines this year, this is a unique opportunity to hear from experts across Asia and the Pacific.
The theme of this year’s Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) Asia Pacific Week is “Enabling cross-border cooperation in the region and beyond.” Conference sessions will center around enabling cross-border cooperation in the Asia Pacific Region. Conference sessions will provide a unique opportunity for participants to learn more about the HCCH and its work, engage with experts from across Asia and the Pacific, and consider regional experiences. One of the sessions will focus on the 2007 Hague Child Support Convention. The Convention contains procedures for processing international child support cases that are uniform, simple, efficient, accessible, and cost-free to persons seeking support in other Convention countries.
The HCCH Permanent Bureau invited Margaret (Meg) Campbell Haynes, a management consultant with Public Knowledge®, to give an introductory presentation on the 2007 Child Support Convention and the U.S. experience in implementing it. The presentation will then be followed by contributions from speakers representing Contracting Parties in the region.
The Role of the HCCH
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, and International Commercial, Digital, and Financial Law. HCCH Conventions provide solutions to complex matters regarding jurisdiction, establishing cooperation mechanisms between states, applicable law, and the recognition and enforcement of judgments.
Meg Has Extensive Experience with the Hague Child Support Convention
Meg was a member of the U.S. delegation during the treaty negotiations and served as co-chair of the Convention Forms Working Group. This group developed mandatory and recommended forms for processing international child support cases under the 2007 Hague Child Support Convention.
TheIn 2022, Meg represented the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) at a Special Commission on the operation of the Convention. At the conclusion of the Special Commission, delegates again approved her to serve as co-chair of the Forms Working Group.
Expertise in International Child Support
From 1990-1992 Meg served as chair of the U.S. Commission on Interstate Child Support. Its report to Congress resulted in a major reform to interstate child support laws in the United States. Meg continues to be recognized as an expert and leader in intergovernmental child support law and often presents to national and regional professional child support conferences. Public Knowledge® is excited Meg can participate in the HCCH Asia Pacific Week and join with other countries in important conversations on child support.
The number of international child support cases is increasing, and processing those cases has its unique challenges. Public Knowledge® has first-hand experience providing guidance, training, and desk aid development to provide support to child support professionals. Drawing from Meg’s extensive knowledge of international law combined with effective project management, our firm was able to help Washington State Division of Child Support improve its international child support policies, contacts, and processes.
We encourage you to take a look at the Washington State International Child Support Capabilities Strengthened Case Study.