This doesn't directly impact Ukrainian adoption. Ukraine has not signed the Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption (also known as Hague Treaty on Adoption or just "Hague").

The United States is getting ready to implement this treaty. It will only impact families who are adopting from countries who signed the Hague too.

I have had several people tell me it won't impact independent adoptions. But I really don't know if this is true. About 50% of Ukrainian adoptions (by Americans) are done without an agency. This is why the independent question is important.

Ukraine has talked about ratifying the Hague Adoption Treaty for about 6 years now... so adoptive families should keep an eye on the US treaty implementation.

This implementation will impact families adopting from countries like:

Top 10 Convention Countries from which U.S. Citizens Adopted in FY05

1. China


2. Guatemala


3. India


4. Colombia


5. Philippines


6. Mexico


7. Poland


8. Thailand


9. Brazil


10. Moldova

One of the first steps is to accredit adoption agencies.

The COA (Council on Accreditation in New York) is doing the accredition. They are accepting comments on the 307 adoption agencies who have applied.

You have until Jan 31 2007 to provide your comments. You can do it via the web site. If you have any questions about this process you can call 866.262.8088, x 241.