10th Anniversary of ROAP – Workshop on HCCH Conventions Supporting Transnational Litigation in Civil or Commercial Matters
On 8 November 2022, the Permanent Bureau’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) had the pleasure of hosting the workshop “HCCH Conventions Supporting Transnational Litigation in Civil or Commercial Matters”, in partnership with the Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR. The workshop was held during Hong Kong Legal Week 2022, in celebration of the tenth Anniversary of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
The workshop commenced with opening remarks by Mr Liu Guangyuan, Commissioner of China’s Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR, H.E. Paul Lam Ting-Kwok, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, and Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the HCCH. Prof Yun Zhao, Representative of ROAP (HCCH), provided an overview of ROAP’s key milestones and future outlook.
The workshop featured two panel discussions. The first panel, moderated by Mr Adrian Lai, Deputy Secretary General and Co-Convenor of the Advisory Board of the Asian Academy of Law, focused on cooperation as a means to support transnational litigation, featuring discussions on the HCCH’s 1965 Service Convention, 1970 Evidence Convention and 1961 Apostille Convention. The second panel, moderated by Mr Clifford Tavares, Principal Government Counsel at the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, focused on legal certainty and predictability as a means to support transnational litigation, featuring discussions on the HCCH’s 2005 Choice of Court Convention, 2019 Judgments Convention, and Jurisdiction Project.
In his closing remarks, Prof Yun Zhao, Representative of ROAP (HCCH), stated: “The promotion and effective practical operation of HCCH Conventions requires continuing work. The HCCH, including the PB and ROAP, will continue to work towards these ends. I’m grateful that through this workshop government officials and scholars, as well as global legal practitioners, have all contributed to this process through their joint efforts”.
The recording of the workshop is available, in English, on the Hong Kong Legal Week 2022’s YouTube channel.