 Johannes (“Hans”) H.A. van Loon is the Secretary General of the Hague conference on Private International Law, a long-standing intergovernmental Organization based at The Hague, the Netherlands. This organization is currently composed of 54 member states, including the United States of America, and, since the Second World War, has drawn up over 30 multilateral treaties to advance the exercise of rights of private individuals, families, businesses and other entities in transnational situations. Before he took the position of Secretary General in 1996, Hans was the member of the Hague conference Secretariat who initiated, around 1985, the work of the Hague Conference. This ultimately led to the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Hans was responsible for persuading both Hague Conference Member and non-Member States of the need for and feasibility of negotiating a worldwide treaty on inter-country adoption. After the treaty was first signed in May 1993, he continues to be involved in its promotion and implementation, including through high level contacts with governments, further missions to Romania and Paraguay, contact with associations of adoption organizations, universities, and other international organizations. Hans has also been involved in the preparation of other multilateral treaties in and outside the family law arena, and has published widely on these issues.
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