- Details
- Published: May 31, 2023
Seminar on International Hague Conventions
Cross-border child abductions and the gathering of evidence present international courts with major challenges in practice. The IRZ and the Supreme Court and the Court Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan therefore organised a seminar in Shymkent on 11-12 May, 2023 on “The Practical Application of the Hague Convention on the Civil Law Aspects of International Child Abduction dated 25 October, 1980 and on the Acquisition of Evidence Abroad in civil or Commercial Matters dated 18 March, 1970”. The event was held in hybrid form and was thematically linked to last year's series of seminars with the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Speakers and participants discussed the problematic and urgent issues of the implementation of the two Conventions at an international and national level and discussed the main problems of the judicial application of the Conventions and the practice of interpretation. The organisers facilitated expert exchanges and networking among the judges at an international and national level.
Supreme Court judge Zaure Keikibasova opened the event and moderated the programme. International experts Philippe Lortie, First Secretary of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, Melissa Ford, Secretary of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, Christian Höhn, Head of Division at the Federal Office of Justice and RiinAG Dr. Joanna Guttzeit, Liaison Judge at the International Hague Liaison Judges Network/ Liaison Judge at the European Judicial Network also spoke at the event.
The international team of experts addressed the following topics in the presentations:
- Details of the Hague Convention of 25 October, 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
- Court practice regarding the implementation
- Cooperation between central authorities; in Germany, the Federal Office of Justice
- Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters dated 18 March, 1970: theory and practice
The participants from Kazakhstan who gave lectures Zhanargul Alpysbayeva, President of the Astana Juvenile Court, Akmaral Kusherbayeva, Judge at the City Court of Astana and Olga Ryl, Head of the Public Foundation “Pravo”.
The group of participants consisted of representatives of the regional departments of the court administration, judges at the specialised national juvenile courts of the Republic of Kazakhstan, judge coordinators of the territorial and equivalent courts and specialists of the territorial court administrations responsible for international legal assistance.
The participants engaged in an intense dialogue. The attendees at the seminar and organisers expressed their mutual interest in further cooperation We are planning to continue the series of events next year.