Pinay diplomat is first female chair of int'l convention body

A Philippine Embassy official has become the first ever female chairperson of a standing committee of an inter-governmental organization administering international conventions related to private international law in the Netherlands.

Lawyer Marisar Ivy Cabatingan was elected as chair of the Standing Committee of the Council of Diplomatic Representatives (CDR) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) in a meeting on May 23.

Cabatingan is the Third Secretary and Vice Consul of the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, which made the announcement about her election on Monday, May 29.

Her election "demonstrates the (Philippines') proactive engagement with international legal organizations and commitment to the vital role of the HCCH," Philippine Ambassador to The Hague J. Eduardo Malaya said.

"We thank the members of the Council for the trust and confidence they have reposed on Cabatingan. The Philippines is pleased to further contribute to the work of the HCCH through her," Malaya added.

Cabatingan is the first woman to assume the chairmanship of the CDR Standing Committee after serving as vice chairperson since May 2022.

She is an alumna of the University of San Jose Recoletos-college of Law in Cebu.

According to the embassy, HCCH is an inter-governmental organization that administers international conventions related to private international law.

The Philippines has acceded to several conventions under the HCCH, including the Inter-country Adoption Convention, the Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction, the Apostille Convention, the Service Convention, and the Child Support Convention.