ATTORNEY-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, S.C. on Friday hosted a meeting with the Consul General of the U.S Embassy, Jerome Epping Jr. and other key stakeholders from the Child Care and Protection Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of the June 1, 2019 implementation date of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children.

Primarily, technical issues relating to the implementation of the convention were discussed and addressed, the AG Chambers said in a release.

“It is pertinent to reiterate statements from a previous release of the Chambers which stated, all the Conventions will provide a stronger framework for ease in doing business (Apostille Convention) and country-to country cooperation.”

The AG Chambers also said that Conventions also ensure that Guyana increases its capacity (including administrative, procedural and legal) to deal with current and emerging child protection issues- for example, on international adoption, child maintenance and child abduction. These new frameworks will complement the provisions in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and two of the optional protocols which Guyana is already a party. The Government of Guyana is committed to ensuring the best interests of all children are upheld and children’s rights are prioritized.”