https://www.scmp.com/rss/522426/feed The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) is the world’s first intergovernmental legal organisation, headquartered in Hong Kong. Its primary mission is to provide flexible, cost-effective, and efficient mediation services for international disputes, encompassing state-to-state, investor-state, and international commercial conflicts. As a permanent intergovernmental body, IOMed aims to elevate mediation’s global status and promote peaceful resolution, aligning with the UN Charter.... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Peggy Sito Peggy Sito Hong Kong holds strategic advantages as an arbitration hub in Asia, particularly due to its unique arbitration framework and growing commercial activities within China, according to a US-listed legal finance company. This competitive edge was poised to stimulate more business and increase the frequency of arbitrations, driving growth in the legal finance sector, said Christopher Bogart, CEO and co-founder of Burford. “The Hong Kong arbitration practice has a long history and is very high... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3333201/hong-kongs-arbitration-edge-boosts-legal-finance-burford-ceo-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3333201/hong-kongs-arbitration-edge-boosts-legal-finance-burford-ceo-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Meng Wenting,Zhang Chi (張馳) Meng Wenting,Zhang Chi (張馳) The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was inaugurated at its headquarters in Wan Chai on Monday, bringing the new China-led mechanism into operation to fill the void in dispute resolution. With 37 signatories, the organisation is attracting Western interest, particularly from Switzerland. The IOMed is just one among several bodies announced by or established in China this year. They include the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, Unesco’s International... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3330086/china-supporting-multilateralism-one-institution-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3330086/china-supporting-multilateralism-one-institution-time?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung A newly established international mediation body headquartered in Hong Kong can contribute to improving the world’s legal system, mainland China’s vice-foreign minister has said. Hua Chunying also highlighted on Monday the short time it took for the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) – the world’s first intergovernmental body dedicated to mediation – to become operational. She said this showed strong support from the international community for the peaceful settlement of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3329685/worlds-first-intergovernmental-mediation-body-launched-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3329685/worlds-first-intergovernmental-mediation-body-launched-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 09:46:46 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The opening of the new legal year in London, like its equivalent in Hong Kong, features judges and lawyers dressed in traditional costumes. But the occasion, which has its origins in the Middle Ages, provides a valuable opportunity for the profession to reflect on today’s challenges. Participants from overseas are invited and this year there were around 100 from 40 jurisdictions, including Hong Kong’s Bar Association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet. The visit bore fruit, allowing interaction... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3329420/hong-kong-has-room-grow-global-hub-arbitration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3329420/hong-kong-has-room-grow-global-hub-arbitration?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 23:15:14 +0000 Brian Y. S. Wong Brian Y. S. Wong Donald Trump may have a point in highlighting the UN’s ability to address global challenges. However, the antidote to stunted multilateralism isn’t abandoning the concept altogether, but inclusive reforms that empower countries that lack representation. Besides its New York headquarters, the UN has three large secretariat hubs in Nairobi, Vienna and Geneva, but few offices located in Asia, a continent with around 60 per cent of the world’s population. Bangkok does serve as a de facto... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3327144/hong-kong-should-be-chinas-gateway-united-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3327144/hong-kong-should-be-chinas-gateway-united-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hong Kong will be able to contribute more to dispute resolution efforts as courts in the Greater Bay Area will refer cases requiring mediation to locally based organisations after a global body was set up in the city, a delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has said. Starry Lee Wai-king, the city’s sole member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, also said on Saturday that the revised arbitration legislation allowed organisations in Hong Kong to conduct business in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3325451/revised-arbitration-law-very-good-news-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3325451/revised-arbitration-law-very-good-news-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 16:24:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Much has been made of the city’s emergence as an international centre for dispute resolution. First came the launch by 33 signatories of a Hong Kong-based legal body for resolving international disputes by mediation before a neutral third party; soon, hopefully, this will be followed by neutral mediation of disputes in sport, after a two-year pilot programme. Meanwhile, the ombudsman has taken mediation to a new level in his role as an independent watchdog on public administration. Since Jack... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3324309/mediation-between-residents-and-officials-can-only-benefit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3324309/mediation-between-residents-and-officials-can-only-benefit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 22:45:07 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Gaginang – Teochew for “our own people” – is how we Teochew or Chiu Chow people refer to ourselves. Originally from the Chaoshan region of China, we are now a global diaspora, with many living in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3319958/teochew-diaspora-has-role-play-amid-thailand-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3319958/teochew-diaspora-has-role-play-amid-thailand-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Li Cheng,Zhang Chi (張馳) Li Cheng,Zhang Chi (張馳) USAID, long one of the foremost tools of US soft power, ended its six decades as an independent agency on July 1, with no details on how it had been reviewed disclosed. Meanwhile, the China-initiated International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), made a high-profile debut in Hong Kong in May. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the inauguration and stressed looking for ways to resolve issues “so as to lend our thoughts to countries seeking to resolve problems or disagreements with others”. This... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3317250/hong-kong-uniquely-placed-help-fill-global-public-goods-gap-left-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3317250/hong-kong-uniquely-placed-help-fill-global-public-goods-gap-left-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification With China signing a convention to set up the International Organisation for Mediation in Hong Kong, the city has an extraordinary opportunity to cement its international status amid geopolitical... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3317244/hong-kongs-mediation-body-be-par-hague-more-must-be-done?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3317244/hong-kongs-mediation-body-be-par-hague-more-must-be-done?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 03:30:09 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Hong Kong is taking another important step towards becoming a go-to destination for dispute resolution. A month after launching its first legal body to solve international disputes through mediation before a neutral third party, Hong Kong is inviting proposals to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute arbitration. The convention signed by 33 countries to establish the Hong Kong-based International Organisation for Mediation is a groundbreaking China-led initiative to promote amicable... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3316963/hong-kong-well-placed-referee-commercial-sports-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3316963/hong-kong-well-placed-referee-commercial-sports-disputes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 05:50:55 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Beijing has approved the convention establishing the world’s first intergovernmental organisation on mediation in Hong Kong, while indicating it would not bring forth World Trade Organization (WTO) disputes to the new body. Observers said on Friday the move was an indication of Beijing’s support for the WTO and that it would still bring other disputes to the new organisation. The state-run Xinhua News Agency said the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress had approved the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3316166/beijing-approves-convention-establishing-global-mediation-organisation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3316166/beijing-approves-convention-establishing-global-mediation-organisation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:49:57 +0000