19-20 July 2010
ISS General Secretariat (GS) participates in the International Organization for Migration's Workshop
IOM's two-day workshop, Societies and Identities: The multifaceted impact of migration, drew together a wide variety of stakeholders, from the governmental, non-governmental, academic and international sectors. It served to be a forum for dialogue and debate concerning participant's diverse experiences in responding to the ever-increasing realities of international migration. Included was an important focus on the social and cultural dimensions of migration, including the value of social remittances, the transfer of ideas, behaviors, identities and social capital, which are not as frequently recognized within countries of destination. Discussions also surrounded best practices regarding a government's role in combating negative "migrant myths," such as the common view that migrants abuse and drain a country's social welfare system.
Speakers' from the United States, Mauritius, the Kingdom of Morocco, Australia, Spain, Argentina, Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Mexico, Italy, the Philippines and Rwanda demonstrated a strong knowledge base that reflected the varied needs of migrants in societies of origin, transit and destination. This information further supported ISS' work of utilizing a "transnational lens" to solve transnational problems. In addition, this workshop afforded the General Secretariat an opportunity to meet representatives from the Philippines, Denmark and Afghanistan and to discuss potential collaboration and the development of support within these countries.
29 June 2010
ISS at the Special Commission in June 2010 on Intercountry Adoption
ISS presented a study on "investigating the grey zones of intercountry adoption" during the Special Commission in June 2010 on the practical operation of the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The study was warmly welcomed by the 85 States parties present.
...Check the presentation
15 June 2010
Assessment of the Adoption system in Ivory Coast
Evaluation du système d'adoption nationale et internationale en Côte d'Ivoire, rapport publié par le SSI en mai 2010
...Read the report in French
15 June 2010
Adoption in Vietnam: Findings and recommendations
...Read the report in French
14 Mai 2010
New ISS Statutes adopted: a new way forward
"ISS members succeeded in enabling the organisation to enter a new era of consolidation and renewal while respecting the wish of our founding fathers to preserve the status of ISS as a non-governmental organisation" stated Mr. Jean Ayoub, the ISS Secretary General at the end of the first day of the extraordinary International Council meeting held in Geneva on May 6 and 7, 2010.
... Read the full article in English
8 February 2010
ADOPTION FROM VIET NAM, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF AN ASSESSMENT: a report produced by ISS
The 82 page report is based on an independent assessment by ISS in 2009, commissioned by UNICEF Viet Nam and by the Department of Adoption of the Ministry of Justice of Viet Nam. The main aims were to firstly identify and address problems in the adoption processes, with a view to assisting Viet Nam in its preparations to accede to the THC-93 and secondly, review the new draft law on adoption, and propose any relevant amendments. The report includes a number of observations about the adoption situation in the country as well as makes diverse recommendations targeting key actors not only within Vietnam but also those outside including receiving countries, agencies and international organisations. The report is currently available in English, but a French version is forthcoming ...
... Read the full report in ENGLISH
18 January 2010
EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI: Intercountry adoption cases
As in every dramatic event that affects a country, the question arises again about the intercountry adoption of children in the Haitian context.
In this regard, ISS / IRC first recalls that, in general, international adoption should not take place in a situation of war or natural disaster, given that these events make it impossible to verify the personal and family situation of children. Any operation to adopt or to evacuate children that are victims of the earthquake to another country must be absolutely avoided, as was the case during the 2004 tsunami.
However, the intercountry adoption situation in Haiti highlights a new problem: what response should be given to the multiple adoption dossiers which were in the process of being finalised before the earthquake? As of today, some receiving countries have announced their intention to ‘freeze' all pending adoptions due to the present incapacity of the Haitian authorities to follow the required procedures. Yet other receiving countries have already planned to launch evacuation missions for children as quick as possible and in this situation, ISS/IRC would like to reiterate the following points.
... Read the full statement in ENGLISH, FRENCH, or SPANISH
20 November 2009
New York: Guidelines on the Alternative Care of Children welcomed at UNGA. To commemorate this landmark event, SOS Children's Villages International and ISS launch a publication on the Guidelines
A resolution ‘welcoming' the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children was adopted by UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 20 November 2009. Whilst the resolution does not ‘adopt' the text, the accepted language was part of an effort to avoid having the text re-opened in New York. It is important to note that the UNGA "welcomed" the Paris Principles (at OP 11) and that that OHCHR itself actually describes them as "adopted". The resolution also requests the OHCHR to ensure the wide dissemination of the text and it is important that the text is now implemented as part of national policy. The ISS is extremely pleased with the outcome given its involvement from 2004 with UNICEF, when the call for International Standards was first made.
To aid with the latter, SOS Children's Villages and ISS have launched a small publication of introductory questions to gauge whether the national policy reflects the principles espoused in the Guidelines. For the time being this booklet is available only in English but it is hoped that it will be translated into other UN languages in the near future. The objective of publication is to encourage all those who are committed to protecting and promoting the rights of children at risk of losing parental care, or who have lost parental care, in any national context. For more information on the Guidelines, please see our page dedicated to this issue (www.iss-ssi.org/2009/index.php?id=25) and our Guidelines launch paper.
26-29 October 2009
ISS assisted with the training of professionals working on adoption issues in Madagascar
The first training workshop on international adoption was held from October 26 to 29 in Antananarivo. Organized by the Embassy of France, this workshop brought together over one hundred Malagasy professionals involved with international adoption. During these four days, the following topics were discussed: medical follow-up of adopted children, attachment disorders and the preparation of prospective adoptive parents. The contemporary context of adoption at the international level and the mechanisms foreseen by the Hague Convention of 1993 were presented by Hervé Boéchat Director of ISS / IRC, throughout the first day.
Taking advantage of this stay, Hervé also met with representatives of the Swiss organisation Families without Borders and the Malagasy central authority. These visits concluded this week rich in emotions.
8 and 9 October 2009
ISS participated at the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) organised by OHCHR
For more information, please consult the short meeting report (available only in French)
26 and 29 May 2009
ISS International Council held in Cape Town, South Africa
The International Council is the General Assembly of the organization and meets every three years. Among the highlights of the meeting, the unanimous approval of the new ISS strategic objectives as presented by the Secretary General should be noted. Furthermore, Mr Jean Ayoub's emphasised on the organization's unique capabilities (or added value) to make significant contribution to the area of unaccompanied minors and international family mediation was welcomed by the audience.
For more information, please read the short meeting report.
23-26 March 2009
Third Malta Judicial Conference on Cross-Frontier Family Law Issues
Judges, Experts from all around the world, as well as Marek Ganther from ISS UK participated in the Third Malta Judicial Conference on Cross-Frontier Family Law Issues. This conference was hosted by the Government of Malta in Collaboration with the Hague Conference on Private International Law and focused on how to secure better protection for cross-frontier rights of contact of parents and their children and the problems posed by international abduction between the States concerned.
For more information, please read the short conference report and the Declaration of the conference (in English or French).