· Positive outcome to visit to Ireland by a delegation of senior Vietnamese officials
· Minister expects agreement to be signed in September during visit of Vietnamese Justice Minister
Frances Fitzgerald, TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, has welcomed the discussions which have taken place between senior officials from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Adoption Authority of Ireland leading to agreement on the contents of the final administrative arrangements for the resumption of adoptions between Ireland and Vietnam.
The delegation of senior officials was on a week-long visit hosted by the Adoption Authority and Minister Fitzgerald.
Minister Fitzgerald said she expects that the agreement setting out the administrative arrangements will be signed during a visit to Ireland by the Vietnamese Minister for Justice, Mr. Ha Hung Cuong, in September.
Minister Fitzgerald stated: “I am pleased that this week’s discussions, along with my earlier visit to Vietnam, during which I issued an invitation to the Vietnamese to visit Ireland, has provided the opportunity for us to forge a close understanding and working relationship between the adoption authorities in both countries”
The Minister added that “the need to resume adoptions between Ireland and Vietnam has been both long-awaited and much wished for by many Irish families. I hope that the priority focus I have placed on this matter since becoming Minister will result in a successful conclusion very shortly.
Minister Fitzgerald also expressed her view that the discussions held by the Vietnamese delegation during their visit with the accredited bodies, ARC and Helping Hands, should greatly assist future interactions. The delegation also met with Vietnamese children and their adoptive parents at a function in Tallaght.
Ends…/
Pictured above: Minister Frances Fitzgerald T.D. pictured with Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, Damien Cole Irish Ambassador to Vietnam and Mr Nguyen van Binh, Director General of the Department of Adoption
Notes to Editors:
The following explain legislative or technical terms used in this press release:
Adoption Authority of Ireland – Following the commencement of the Adoption Act, 2010 on 1 November 2010, adoption in Ireland is now regulated by the Adoption Authority of Ireland which is an independent statutory body appointed by Government. The functions of the Authority, as set out in Section 96 of the Adoption Act, 2010 include functions of an operational, judicial and quasi-judicial nature in relation to the adoption process itself and relating to the Authority’s designation as the Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.
The Hague Convention - The Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) establishes international standards of practices for intercountry adoptions. These standards protect children and their families against the risks of illegal, irregular, premature or ill-prepared adoptions abroad. This Convention, which also operates through a system of national Central Authorities, reinforces the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Art. 21) and seeks to ensure that intercountry adoptions are made in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights, and to prevent the abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children.
Administrative Arrangement – Under section 72 of the Adoption Act 2010, the Adoption Authority may enter into administrative arrangements with another contracting State (i.e. a State that is party to the Hague Convention) in relation to intercountry adoption.
Accredited Body – Under the Adoption Act, 2010, the accreditation of bodies providing adoption services is a matter for the Adoption Authority. The functions include registration, regulatory and standard setting functions in respect of all bodies providing adoption services in accordance with Part 13 of the Act and the relevant regulations.