Female judges nominated to represent Guyana on Hague Convention

Guyana’s Chief Justice (ag) and another senior judge were nominated by Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Basil Williams last evening to become Guyana’s representatives on the International Network of Hague Judges.

At the opening ceremony of the Hague Convention Conference at the Pegasus Hotel on Wednesday evening, Minister  Williams nominated Chief Justice (ag), Madame Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Madame Justice, Roxanne George as Hague Network Judges as part of Guyana’s commitment to joining the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).

Williams said he has no doubt that the judges will bring a wealth of knowledge which will contribute positively to the operating and functioning of the Hague Conventions.

Despite not being a member, Guyana is hosting the conference which runs from Wednesday, July 13, to Friday, July 15, 2016.

“My hope is that Guyana becomes a member of HCCH and continue the work already started through the hosting of this conference,” Williams said in his opening remarks.

Once the nomination is accepted, Guyana will be the second country in the Caribbean region to be a part of the network. Trinidad and Tobago is the first Caribbean country to sign on to it.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the HCCH, Christophe Bernasconi welcomed the two judges on their appointment and expressed the hope that other Caribbean countries will sign onto the Hague Network of Judges.

“I hope that this event will ignite in all delegates here present a strong interest and enthusiasm for the Hague conference and its conventions. I also hope that this enthusiasm will be carried back to the capital, and as a result, many Caribbean states will sign up to Hague conventions and actively consider Hague Conference membership. I sincerely hope that we can encourage those states…to designate one or two Hague Network Judges,” Bernasconi said.

Bernasconi also commended Minister Williams for the effort that Guyana and other sponsors have put in to make the conference possible. “You immediately understood the great potential our instruments can have for Guyana and the region more broadly,” Bernasconi said in praise.

The conference is the third and largest regional conference. There are approximately 22 delegates from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the wider Caribbean region attending. Those delegates are Ministers of Legal Affairs, Attorney Generals, Judges and other legal experts.

Attorney General Williams said that the content and quality of the various HCCH conventions are worthy of embracing. “The conventions simplify and expedite judicial proceedings to ensure reciprocity as it relates to the enforcement of a judgment in foreign jurisdictions and promote legal certainty,” Williams said.

The Hague Convention on Private International Law is an International Non-Governmental Organisation that has developed a wide range of treaties and conventions regarding family law and the cross-border protection of children.

(GINA)