Wednesday, January 2, 2013

DOS Adoption Notice: Update on Status of Intercountry Adoptions between the United States and Cambodia


Cambodia  
January 2, 2013

Notice: Update on Status of Intercountry Adoptions between the United States and Cambodia

The United States has determined that it will not be able to process intercountry adoptions in Cambodia at this time, under the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Convention).

Despite Cambodia’s initiatives to strengthen its child welfare system and improve the integrity of its domestic and intercountry adoption processes, it does not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place.  We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that important steps, consistent with the requirements of the Convention, must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Cambodia may resume.  Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption services in Cambodia for prospective adoptive parents in the United States until they receive notification from the Department of State.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.  If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States.  Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=cambodia_5
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Friday, November 30, 2012

DOS Adoption Notice: Update on Inter-country Adoptions in Cambodia

Cambodia
November 30, 2012

Notice: Update on Inter-country Adoptions in Cambodia

The Special Advisor for Children's Issues, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, met with host government officials in Cambodia on October 28 and 29 regarding Cambodia’s efforts to meet obligations under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption (the Convention).  The United States continues to support Cambodia's efforts to improve its child welfare system and intercountry adoption process.
We welcome Cambodia's efforts to implement fully its new law on intercountry adoption.

The Cambodian government has indicated that it intends to begin accepting adoption petitions on January 1, 2013.  Based on this information, the Department of State is currently assessing whether consular officers will be able to certify that individual adoptions will comply with the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, and U.S. implementing regulations.  The Department has made no decision as to when intercountry adoptions between the United States and Cambodia will resume.

We continue to caution adoption service providers (ASPs) and prospective adoptive parents that important steps must still take place to ensure that adoptions between Cambodia and the United States comply with the Convention, the U.S. law, and implementing regulations before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Cambodia may resume.  ASPs should not initiate, nor claim to initiate, adoption programs in Cambodia until they receive notification from the Department of State that it will resume processing Convention adoption visa applications in Cambodia.
Updated information will be provided on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=cambodia_4

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Special Advisor's Trip to Cambodia to discuss Hgaue Convention Advances


Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 22, 2012


Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs will visit Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Cambodia, and Vietnam October 22-November 1.

While in the region, Special Advisor Jacobs will meet with non-governmental organizations and government officials to discuss the Hague Abduction and Adoption Conventions and the need to strengthen child protection systems.

In Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), Special Advisor Jacobs will discuss international parental child abduction. In the ROK, she will review Korea’s plans to accede to the Hague Adoption Convention. The Special Advisor will also visit Cambodia and Vietnam, which are in the process of implementing the Hague Adoption Convention.

For more information about children’s issues, please visit: ChildrensIssues.state.gov
For updates on Special Advisor Jacobs’ trip, follow her on Twitter: @ChildrensIssues
For press inquiries please contact CAPRESSREQUESTS@state.gov or (202) 647-1488.




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Monday, March 19, 2012

DOS Adoption Notice: Update of status of adoptions in Cambodia

Notice: Update of status of adoptions in Cambodia

The Office of Children’s Issues wishes to provide a further update for U.S. citizens interested in intercountry adoptions with Cambodia.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation recently announced to all embassies with diplomatic and consular missions in Cambodia that the Cambodian government has decided to delay the date that it will begin receiving adoption petitions until January 1, 2013. The Cambodian government is still working to establish the necessary internal child welfare structures to function as a Hague partner.

The Special Advisor for Children's Issues, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, met with the host government officials in January 2012 regarding Cambodia’s ability to meet obligations for conducting intercountry adoptions. The United States continues to support Cambodia's efforts to create a child welfare system and an intercountry adoption process that fulfills its obligations under the Hague Adoption Convention. We welcome Cambodia's efforts to fully implement its new law on intercountry adoption.

Updated information will be provided on www.adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.


http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=cambodia_3
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Friday, February 17, 2012

USCIS Country Information on Cambodia Adoption

The USCIS has recently published country information on its intercountry adoptions pages. The following is their statement on Cambodia, which can be found at:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=ecab18a1f8b73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=ecab18a1f8b73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Cambodia is a party to the Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention. DOS determined that Cambodia is currently not meeting its obligations under the Convention. For this reason, DOS Consular officers cannot issue the required Hague Adoption Certificate or Hague Custody Declaration at this time.

In light of the inability to complete the immigration process for Hague cases, prospective adoptive parents are strongly urged not to file Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, identifying Cambodia as the country from which they intend to adopt.

Additionally, the United States suspended orphan visa petition processing in Cambodia on December 21, 2001, due to the inability to verify that any particular Cambodian child is an “orphan” as defined in U.S. immigration law. It is important to note that this suspension remains in effect for any Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, filed prior to April 1, 2008.


Ethics, Transparency, Support~
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Thursday, December 29, 2011

PEAR Website Announcement

Our website will be down December 26 to January 6 for a redesign. Due to this, our web comments, membership forms and donate buttons will be inoperable.


Please direct your correspondence to the following board members:

Comments and requests for assistance:
Gina Pollock
Vice President Advocacy and NGO/Government Relations
rmprhp@yahoo.com

Membership Issues:
Shanna Wright
Secretary and Membership Chair


Donations and financial issues:
Margaret Weeks
Treasurer
meweek@aol.com

All other correspondence:
Kimberly Kennedy
President
kackennedy_2000@yahoo.com

Thank you for your continued patience and support!
Ethics, Transparency, Support~
What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Monday, June 6, 2011

DOS Adoption Notice: Cambodia Update

June 2011

Notice: Update of status of adoptions in Cambodia

The Office of Children's Issues wishes to provide a further update for American Citizens interested in intercountry adoptions with Cambodia. Although Cambodia is a party to the Hague Adoption Convention, they are still working to establish the necessary internal child welfare structures to function as a Hague partner.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation recently announced to all embassies with diplomatic and consular missions in Cambodia that the Cambodian Government has decided to delay the date that it will begin receiving adoption petitions until April 1, 2012. The delay provides additional time for Cambodia to implement all necessary prakas (regulations), add staff, and complete training necessary to meeting its obligations under the Hague Adoption Convention.

The Special Advisor for Children's Issues, Ambassador Susan Jacobs met with Cambodian officials in March 2011, and explained what protections must be in place from the U.S. perspective before we will be able to resume adoptions between our two countries. She also encouraged the Cambodian Government to finalize and implement procedures that will enable Cambodia to operate as a Hague Convention partner country.

The United States continues to support Cambodia's efforts to create a child welfare system and an intercountry adoption process that fulfills its obligations under the Hague Adoption Convention. We welcome Cambodia's efforts to fully implement its new law on intercountry adoption.

Updated information will be provided on www.adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=cambodia_2


Ethics, Transparency, Support~
What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/