PORTLAND, Ore., June 11, 2012 /
Christian Newswire/ -- All God's Children International (AGCI), has received notification that it has achieved Hague Accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA) as authorized by the U.S. Department of State, according to an announcement made to Hollen Frazier, Executive Director of AGCI.
Hague accredited adoption agencies must be re-accredited every four years. Hague Accreditation attests that AGCI is in substantial compliance with the Hague Convention Accreditation Standards for international adoption. The Hague Convention is an international treaty created to ensure that intercountry adoptions are in the best interests of children and to prevent abduction, exploitation, sale, or trafficking of children. In 1994 the United States signed this treaty and agreed to develop regulations and a monitoring process for adoption service providers in the U.S. that worked with agencies in countries that signed onto the Convention.
For more information about the Hague Convention, including a full list of participating countries, please visit the Hague Conference on Private International Law's website at
www.hcch.net. Congress passed The Intercountry Adoption Act (IAA) in October 2000, which serves as the implementing legislation for the United States. The IAA names the U.S. Department of State (State Department) as the Central Authority for the United States and the federal agency responsible for implementing the Convention. The IAA requires agencies and persons providing adoption services in cases involving Convention countries to be accredited or approved. In July, 2006 the U.S. Department of State named COA as the only national accreditor for adoption service providers under the Hague Convention. Founded in 1977, COA is an independent, not-for-profit accreditor of the full of the continuum of community-based behavioral health care and social service organizations.
About All God's Children International: Founded in 1991, All God's Children International passionately serves the world's orphan and vulnerable children by offering hope through the life-changing ministries of adoption, orphan care and missions. Each year, AGCI unites nearly 200 orphans from around the world with their forever families across the United States. Through AGCI's Hannah's Hope orphan homes, children are provided medical care, education, ministry and safety while waiting to be placed in loving homes. Additionally, AGCI provides orphan care for children without families, family preservation projects, and short-term mission trips to help provide the shelter, care, and love that every child deserves.
