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

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

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

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

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

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 22, 2012

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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.

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

DOS Adoption Notice December 24, 2009

Cambodia

Adoption Notice

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

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December 24, 2009


On December 3, 2009, a new law on intercountry adoption was signed by the King of the Government of Cambodia. The new law seeks to create a country-wide comprehensive child welfare system and an intercountry adoption process in compliance with the Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention. This is an important first step in Cambodia's expressed commitment to reforming its child welfare system and in seeking to meet its treaty obligations under the Convention. Cambodia has indicated that the processing of all intercountry adoptions throughout the country will be suspended until the law is fully implemented and necessary procedures are in place.

At this time, it is not possible to estimate when Cambodia might resume processing intercountry adoptions or when adoptions will be able to resume between the United States and Cambodia. In order to implement the new law fully, Cambodia will first need to establish the necessary government structures to support it, draft and finalize prakas (Ministerial orders/regulations), and determine and fill staffing and training needs. Issues related to transparency in fees, procedural safeguards, determination of a child's eligibility for intercountry adoption, criminal penalties and the creation of a strategy to formalize and strengthen the domestic adoption system will all need to be effectively addressed.

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

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