Ambassador Jacobs, Special Advisor for Children's Issues Travels to Ethiopia

Special Advisor for Children's Issues Travels to Ethiopia

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

December 6, 2012

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Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs will visit Ethiopia from December 7-13. She will meet with Ethiopian Government officials to discuss intercountry adoptions and the implementation of the Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR) program. Jacobs will also meet with non-governmental organizations to discuss the importance of standards of practice to protect children and families.
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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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Kyryzstan Update: Reports Indicate Minister Aquitted, Assistant Guilty in Bribery Cases

24.kg media is reporting that Ex-minister of Social Development Ravshan Sabirov was acquitted and his assistant Takhir Mirzakhmedov was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment in the bribery cases uncovered this summer. http://eng.24.kg/community/2012/11/21/26577.html

This updates previous posts to PEAR's blog: http://pear-now.blogspot.com/search?q=kyrgyzstan

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

DOS Adoption Alert: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters into Force for Lesotho

Lesotho

December 5, 2012

Alert: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters into Force for Lesotho

On December 1, 2012 the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for Lesotho.  However, the Government of Lesotho notified the U.S. Embassy in Maseru that the Government of Lesotho is suspending receipt of new adoption applications from all receiving states until March 1, 2013, to give the country time to put a fully functional Convention process in place. 

Adoptions initiated prior to December 1, 2012 may be considered transition cases, and therefore will be able to complete the pre-Convention adoption process.  Transition cases are defined as those in which:

• Prior to December 1, 2012, a prospective adoptive parent filed a Form I-600A with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identifying Lesotho as the country of origin, filed a Form I-600, or completed the adoption; and
• The child was “officially matched” with prospective adoptive parents prior to December 1, 2012.  The Ministry of Social Development defines an official match as one in which the match was made during a matching meeting chaired by a Ministry official, and involving representatives of Lesotho childcare facilities and adoption service providers.

We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that intercountry adoptions between the United States and Lesotho will not resume until steps are taken to ensure that intercountry adoptions from Lesotho comply with the Convention.  Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in Lesotho until the Department of State notifies them that the Government of Lesotho has lifted its temporary suspension of intercountry adoptions and that Lesotho’s procedures meet the requirements of the Convention.

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=alerts&alert_notice_file=lesotho_1

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

DOS Adoption Alert: Freeze on New Intercountry Adoption Applications

India

November 30, 2012

Alert: Freeze on New Intercountry Adoption Applications

Effective December 1, 2012, India will not accept new applications for intercountry adoptions from the United States. or other foreign adoption service providers until further notice, in order to clear a backlog of existing cases.

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) will continue to process applications registered prior to December 1, 2012.  We will provide an update when CARA begins accepting new applications.
If you have any questions, please contact us by phone at 1-888-407-4747 or e-mail us at adoptionUSCA@state.gov.  

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=india_1

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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

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