General Secretariat

A conference organized by ISS Branch in Switzerland

A conference organized by the Swiss Foundation of the International Social Service took place on November 20th in Geneva and attracted 130 professionals interested in the topic

The conference focused on the joint parental authority with regards to the right of the child in Switzerland and, in particular, on further developments as stipulated by the Swiss Civil Code reform on this matter (Réforme du Code Civil Suisse en matière d'APC) of 1st July 2014.
The reform, inspired by article 3 of the CRC, has the purpose to better promote harmonious development of the child, presence of both parents in the life of the child, their equality, and importance of the child's right to be heard during a legal process, according to different International Treaties, besides the UNCRC, such as the 1996 Hague Convention on parental responsibility matters, the European Convention on human rights and the Washington Declaration on International Family Relocation.

 An articulated and practical social legal debate was stimulated by presentations of the speakers, in particular emphasizing the ISS multidisciplinary approach towards the best interest of the child, providing good examples of the law implementation in practice with a link to the ISS transnational activity on the protection of children and families, such as in relocation cases (art. 301a Swiss CC).
Supporting this important initiative by the Swiss branch, the General Secretariat was represented by Mr Vito Bumbaca. The conference was very timely as it links in many ways with the International Conference on Cross-Border Child Protection, ISS organized recently in Geneva ( October 2015)