The bilateral agreement between Ireland and Vietnam was negotiated by officials of the Adoption Board and my Department in March 2003. It was signed in September and ratified on 31 March 2004. In November 2003, following the signing of the agreement, the Adoption Board sent a list of issues to be clarified to the Vietnamese authorities, including Vietnamese requirements regarding facilitation for Irish applications. However, the authorities were not able to respond until the agreement had been ratified by both parties.
On 5 April 2004, immediately following ratification, the Irish ambassador to Vietnam met the authorities to open discussions on implementation of the agreement and to present the issues raised by the Adoption Board. A delegation from the Adoption Board travelled to Vietnam on 19 April to meet the officials of the new adoption authority which has just been set up in Vietnam to oversee inter-country adoption, to agree operational details with them and to visit several orphanages. The Vietnamese authorities identified their requirements, which included the nomination by the Irish Adoption Board of a facilitator whom they would approve.
The delegation met possible candidates for that position and provided them with a document setting out the board's requirements and standards for the post. There was significant lobbying here and in Vietnam. Interested parties were invited to apply and given time to consider the requirements of the post. Following receipt of applications, the Adoption Board established an interview board on 12 May to interview the three candidates who presented themselves.
The Adoption Board was correctly determined to hold an independent selection procedure which would result in a candidate being selected who would best meet the requirements of the Vietnamese and Irish authorities. The Vietnamese authorities were advised of the board's nominee the next day, after the Adoption Board had approved the nominee. Under the bilateral agreement it is a matter for the Vietnamese sovereign authorities to approve the nominee. Their approval is awaited.
Ireland is a signatory to the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption. The Adoption Board's procedures must conform to the spirit and letter of that convention, which puts the best interest of the child at the centre of the process. I am very satisfied that the board has been exemplary and timely in its procedures.
