International trade law goes beyond purely commercial and financial transactions: trade cannot be separated from the complex array of personal relationships that are a direct result of the movement of people, goods and investment capital across borders. The U.S. and other governments have noted the significance of certain trends in the development of domestic systems of family support as a basis for considering appropriate reforms at the international level. Such reforms would deal with the establishment and enforcement of maintenance orders, the implementation of cost-free, simplified procedures for the requesting party and the organization of a cooperative system between the countries involved through the implementation of central authorities. The U.S. currently has approximately a dozen bilateral child support agreements in place with other countries and provinces, including Ireland, the Slovak Republic, Nova Scotia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Manitoba, Portugal, Australia, British Columbia, the Netherlands and Norway.

The Center, under the direction of its research director Dra. Mariana Silveira, has been working closely with the U.S. Department of State in analyzing the possible implementation of additional bilateral agreements with select Latin American countries, as well as the possibility of establishing a regional approach vis-à-vis a possible multilateral agreement to be negotiated under the framework of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. As part of these efforts, the Center co-organized a Meeting of the Americas on International Child Support Enforcement in Orlando , Florida ( August 7-8, 2003 ), which gathered representatives from over 20 countries and regional organizations. A follow-up meeting with Caribbean countries took place in San Juan , Puerto Rico in September 2004. Bilateral agreements have been signed with Costa Rica (February 2005) and El Salvador (May 2006). Negotiations are ongoing with other Latin American countries (including Chile and Brazil), and it is envisioned that negotiations of a new Convention under the framework of the Hague Conference on Private International Law will be completed in the second half of 2007.