Letter from US Embassy in Kyiv

By way of my congressman (Wolf) dated Nov 22nd.  Take it for what it is worth.  Misspellings are probably mine.

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Dear Mr. Wolf:

Thank you for you letter of November 19. 2010, regarding the adoption situation in Ukraine.

I appreciate your concerns for the future of U.S. adoptions in Ukraine due to the proposed bill in the Ukranian Rada to place a moratorium on intercountry adoptions with countries unless a bilateral agreement is in place.  Please bear in mind that this is merely a proposed bill, which has not yet passed the necessary steps to become law in Ukraine.  The proposition of the bill is very concerning to the Embassy and the Department of State, as we would prefer to see countries consider accession to the Hauge Convention on Intercountry Adoption rather than move toward individual bilateral agreements.  We feel the Hague Convention is the best practice to address common concerns for ensuring the safety of children, while preventing child trafficking.  For that reason, the U.S. intends to encourage Ukraine to consider accession to the Hague convention, with safeguards for transition cases, rather than negotiate a bilateral agreement.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has been actively engaged in discussions with our Ukraninian counterparts in regards to the proposed bill as well as the possibility of considering the Hague Convention.  We will continue to inform U.S. adoption stakeholders via our website with any updates we receive on the developments in Ukraine.

We have confirmed with the SDA that they will continue to process dossiers as usual until December 1, which is their normal end of the acceptance season for the year.  In the even that the moratorium were passed and implemented, any adoptions finalized by Ukrainian courts prior to its implementation will still have the ability to proceed through the U.S. immigration process.

I hope this information will assist you in responding to your constituent.  If we can be of further assistance in this or any other matter, please write to our Congressional Liaison mailbox.

Sincerely,

Consul General