World's first intergovernmental mediation body set up in Hong Kong, as 33 countries sign on

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday morning attended the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation in south China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The organization is the world's first intergovernmental legal body specifically dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, jointly proposed by China and 18 other countries in 2022.

About 400 high-level representatives from 85 countries and nearly 20 international organizations attended Friday's signing event. Among them, 33 countries signed the convention on-site, making them the founding members of the IOMed.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, expressed congratulations to the organization's founding member states, saying that all attendees harbored the aim of advancing the peaceful resolution of disputes and fostering friendly cooperation among nations.

Noting there previously existed no intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to the peaceful resolution of international disputes, Wang said the IOMed is designed to mediate, on a voluntary basis, disputes between states, between states and foreign investors, as well as international commercial disputes.

He added that the IOMed will fill the institutional gap in international mediation and serve as a crucial public good for the rule of law to strengthen global governance.

Wang also said that through consultations among the convention's negotiating states, it has been decided that Hong Kong will serve as the headquarters of the organization.

Noting Hong Kong, which boasts unique advantages combining both common law and civil law traditions, has unparalleled strengths in international mediation, Wang said it's believed that IOMed will grow together with Hong Kong, complementing each other.

Wang said China expects all signatory countries to ratify the convention as soon as possible and welcomes more countries to actively join.

The organization is expected to commence operations by early 2026. 

High-level representatives, former officials and renowned international experts from over 50 countries, along with nearly 20 international organizations, including the United Nations, witnessed the signing ceremony.

Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amon Murwira, Nicaraguan Attorney General Wendy Carolina Morales Urbina, Serbian Minister of Justice Nenad Vujic, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, and UN Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua delivered speeches at the event.

Acknowledging that the IOMed is in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, they stressed its importance to multilateralism, global governance, and global rule of law and called on more countries to sign and ratify the convention.

They also appreciated China's role as a major country and expressed belief that the IOMed would contribute to the peaceful settlement of disputes and friendly cooperation among countries.

John Lee, chief executive of HKSAR, welcomed the establishment of the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation in Hong Kong, adding that Hong Kong will give full play to its institutional advantages of "one country, two systems" and fully support the operation of the IOMed.

(With input from Xinhua)