Fifth Conference on the HCCH Children’s Conventions as Bridges between Civil / Common Law and Islamic Law (Malta V)

Development summary

From 24 to 27 September 2024, the HCCH and the Government of Malta co-hosted a conference on protecting children and strengthening co-operation in cross-border family disputes involving civil-law, common-law and Shari’a-based legal systems. The event formed part of the Malta Process, launched in 2004 to facilitate dialogue and co-operation between States facing complex trans-frontier family conflicts.

Across four days, the programme addressed parental responsibility, custody, guardianship, the best interests of the child, kafala and mediation under the 1980 Child Abduction, 1996 Child Protection and 2007 Child Support Conventions. Participants also examined accession to and implementation of the Children’s Conventions, as well as hypothetical cases in which a relevant Convention did or did not apply; the conference ended with discussion of the Malta Process’s next steps.