Informal brainstorming session on future meetings of the Special Commission on the 1980 Child Abduction and 1996 Child Protection Conventions
From 18 to 21 November 2024, an informal brainstorming session on future meetings of the Special Commission (SC) on the 1980 Child Abduction and 1996 Child Protection Conventions was held online, hosted by the Permanent Bureau (PB) in The Hague. It was attended by over 80 participants representing 29 Members, as well as by members of the PB.
As mandated by the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) at its 2024 meeting (C&D No 21), the aim of the informal brainstorming session was to discuss possible means by which Members and Contracting Parties could assist the PB in the planning and organisation of future meetings of the SC. Participants discussed the format and duration of SC meetings; the intervals between SC meetings; the identification and selection of agenda items; the preparation and distribution of written material; and the organisation of bilateral meetings before and after the SC as well as of a meeting of the International Hague Network of Judges, among other topics.
The PB will submit a report of the outcomes of the informal brainstorming session, including proposals for next steps, to CGAP ahead of its 2025 meeting. More information on the 1980 Child Abduction and 1996 Child Protection Conventions, including on past SC meetings, is available on the Child Abduction and Child Protection Sections of the HCCH website.