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INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION IN NEPAL
COMMUNIQUÉ The French Embassy in Nepal has brought to the attention of the French authorities the fact that conditions for undertaking an adoption on one’s own (i.e. without going through a licensed and accredited body) have deteriorated recently in that country. A growing lack of transparency about ongoing proceedings has been observed alongside a significant increase in applications for adoption. A number of alarming signs have emerged that call for provisions aimed at safeguarding the rights of children proposed for adoption in this way. There is indeed a great deal of uncertainty about the real status of those children, and risks of ethical and financial abuses are increasing. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has therefore decided, after informing the Nepalese authorities, to suspend adoptions undertaken individually in Nepal. As from 30 January 2007, the Intercountry Adoption Mission (MAI) will no longer accept and send to the French Embassy in Nepal any further applications for adoption on an individual basis. In any event, no visas will be issued on the grounds of such applications. The only applications that will be processed from now on are those received from an intermediary adoption agency approved for Nepal by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and accredited by the authorities of that country. In this connection, a joint Foreign Ministry and French Adoption Agency (AFA) mission is to visit Nepal shortly. Candidates for adoption who have chosen several countries from which to adopt a child are therefore strongly advised to opt for other countries.
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