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Private International Law is the legal framework composed of conventions, protocols, model laws, legal guides, uniform documents, as well as other documents and instruments, which regulates relationships between individuals in an international context.

The [OAS] through the Secretariat for Legal Affairs (SLA), plays a central role in the harmonization and codification of Private International Law in the Western Hemisphere.

The principal component of this work is the [Inter-American Specialized Conferences on Private International Law], which the OAS recurrently hosts approximately every four to six years. Known for its acronym in Spanish as CIDIP, these Conferences have produced 26 widely enacted international instruments (including conventions, protocols, uniform documents and model laws), which shape the Inter-American Private Law framework.  

The first of these Conferences, [CIDIP-I], was held in Panama City, Panama in 1975. The most recent Conference, [CIDIP-VI], was held at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2002. The forthcoming Conference, [CIDIP-VII], was convened by the [OAS] General Assembly in June 2003.

This resource provides information on [Instruments adopted by CIDIP Conferences] (either chronologically or by topic), as well as information on the Secretariat’s activities in this area and recent news.