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Today, 29 May 2018, marks the 25th Anniversary of the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (1993 Hague Convention). To celebrate this momentous occasion, the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law has published the Brochure “25 Years of Protecting Children in Intercountry Adoption”.

The 1993 Hague Convention is one of the most important international instruments in force for the protection of the interests of children in intercountry adoptions; the Conventions gives effect to, and furthers, the guarantees established by the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The 1993 Hague Convention was concluded on 29 May 1993 and was signed on that day by Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and Romania. The Convention entered into force on 1 May 1995, with Mexico, Romania and Sri Lanka as the first three Contracting States. Since then, in the time leading up to this year’s 25^th anniversary, a total of 98 States have joined the Convention; an additional three States have signed the Convention but not yet ratified it.

The Brochure presents the fundamentals of the 1993 Hague Convention in an easily accessible form, analyses the main achievements in the past 25 years, identifies the remaining challenges, and includes the main tools which have been developed over the years by the HCCH and the International Social Service to assist with the implementation of the Convention. The Brochure is available in English and French on the website of the HCCH under "Adoption Section".

The Permanent Bureau wishes to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all those Convention “actors” (including, but not limited to, governments, Central Authorities, competent authorities, including courts, adoption accredited bodies, social workers, and (international) organisations) who, on a daily basis, work so hard to realise the objectives set out 25 years ago and which are still very relevant today. The Permanent Bureau encourages these actors to continue co-operating to ensure that the rights and interests of adoptable children and adopted children / persons are paramount, and that the rights of families of origin and adoptive families are also respected and protected.