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yesterday

World’s First International Organisation for Mediation Inaugurated in Hong Kong

Delegations representing almost 20 nations have endorsed a new mediation body that will strengthen Hong Kong’s role as a global dispute resolution centre

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, attends the signing ceremony of “the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation”, in Hong Kong, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jonathan Lee)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, attends the signing ceremony of “the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation”, in Hong Kong, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jonathan Lee)

Overview

  • Representatives from nearly 20 countries and 20 international organisations gathered in Hong Kong on May 30 to sign the founding agreement for the International Organisation for Mediation.
  • The intergovernmental body, first announced in 2022, is mandated to mediate disputes between states, between a state and a foreign national, and among companies across different jurisdictions.
  • The organisation’s headquarters is slated to open in Hong Kong by late 2025 or early 2026, with site preparations already underway in Wan Chai.
  • Hong Kong officials say the new body will boost the city’s legal services sector and reinforce its status as a premier international dispute resolution hub.
  • Legal experts highlight that the mediation platform will handle trade, intellectual property and other transnational conflicts without resorting to binding litigation.