Latest news with #InternationalOrganizationforMediation
The Sun
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Hong Kong-headquartered International Mediation Body Established
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 31 May 2025 - International mediation marked a significant milestone yesterday (May 30) with the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed). The IOMed, with its headquarters in Hong Kong, is the world's first inter-governmental international legal organisation devoted to the use of mediation in resolving international disputes. More than 80 countries and about 20 international organisations, including the United Nations, sent senior representatives to Hong Kong to witness the Signing Ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation. Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi, attended the Signing Ceremony and was the first to sign the Convention on behalf of China. Altogether, 33 countries signed the Convention on-site, making them the founding members of the IOMed. Addressing the ceremony, Mr Wang said that as an innovative step in international rule of law, the IOMed has great significance in the history of international relations. The IOMed will be headquartered in Hong Kong, whose handover is itself a success story of peaceful settlement of international disputes. He added that the success of the 'one country, two systems' principle has created brighter prospects for prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), John Lee, thanked the Central Government for its staunch support of Hong Kong, and the international community for placing their trust and confidence in the city. 'The IOMed will provide a pathway for countries – regardless of culture, language and legal system – to resolve international disputes based on mutual respect and understanding,' Mr Lee said. 'This is increasingly important amid mounting geopolitical tensions.' Mr Lee underscored that the IOMed reflected a shared confidence in mediation as a peaceful means to maintain international peace and security, as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations. The Chief Executive also set out Hong Kong's advantages as an effective 'super connector' and 'super value-adder' and said the city would actively promote the IOMed's valuable work in settling international disputes through mediation. 'Despite geopolitical turbulence, Hong Kong builds bridges, not walls,' Mr Lee said. 'Under our unique 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong is the only world city that enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage. 'We are the only common law jurisdiction in China, and the only jurisdiction in the world with a bilingual common law system in both Chinese and English. We have a long tradition of the rule of law, and our courts exercise their judicial power independently.' With a robust, efficient and well-respected legal system as well as world-class legal and dispute resolution services professionals, Hong Kong is also the most preferred seat for arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region. The IOMed headquarters will be located at the site of the former Wan Chai Police Station, once renovation of the Grade 2 historic building is completed. 'I'm happy to say that it could open its doors as early as the end of this year,' said Mr Lee. 'We look forward not only to welcoming its new occupants, but also to supporting them in building new bridges for a more connected, peaceful and prosperous future through mediation.' Representatives from over 30 countries, including China and countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, jointly signed the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong on May 30.
RTHK
20 hours ago
- Politics
- RTHK
Most countries prefer mediation to settle disputes: SJ
Most countries prefer mediation to settle disputes: SJ Paul Lam has stressed that non-member states can also use the services provided by the International Organization for Mediation. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) has the potential to show the world that disputes can be solved by "equal and peaceful means". Speaking days after the founding of the IOMed in the SAR last Friday, Lam stressed that there is always an urgency for mediation on a global level. For example, he noted that two years ago, Iran and the United Arab Emirates resumed diplomatic relations through the help of Chinese mediation. "I think there's major room for mediation. We shouldn't allow the rather dejecting small amount of countries that disrespect international laws hurt our confidence. Rather, this highlights the need for mediation," the minister said on Commercial Radio. "We need to change the whole atmosphere, and show that the vast majority of countries in the world insist on using equal and peaceful means to settle disputes. We can use this new platform to demonstrate our persistence on such principles." Lam said non-member states can also use the mediation service, and they are most welcome to join the organisation going forward. He noted that compared with arbitration or litigation, countries who take part in mediation are more likely to respect the results of the process, since both parties would have found common ground through direct negotiations. Speaking on a TVB programme later, the minister said the renovation of the organisation's base – at the Old Wan Chai Police Station – should be completed by the end of the year. When it will start taking on cases depends on member states, and the formation of the organisation's secretariat, he added. The minister also stressed that the organisation is located in Hong Kong not only because of China's backing, but it also reflects the reputation of the SAR's rule of law, the city's global status, safety and transport links.
Arabian Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arabian Post
Hong Kong-headquartered International Mediation Body Established
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 31 May 2025 – International mediation marked a significant milestone yesterday (May 30) with the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed). The IOMed, with its headquarters in Hong Kong, is the world's first inter-governmental international legal organisation devoted to the use of mediation in resolving international disputes. More than 80 countries and about 20 international organisations, including the United Nations, sent senior representatives to Hong Kong to witness the Signing Ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation. Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi, attended the Signing Ceremony and was the first to sign the Convention on behalf of China. Altogether, 33 countries signed the Convention on-site, making them the founding members of the IOMed. Addressing the ceremony, Mr Wang said that as an innovative step in international rule of law, the IOMed has great significance in the history of international relations. The IOMed will be headquartered in Hong Kong, whose handover is itself a success story of peaceful settlement of international disputes. He added that the success of the 'one country, two systems' principle has created brighter prospects for prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi, speaks at the Signing Ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation and is the first to sign the Convention on behalf of China. Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), John Lee, thanked the Central Government for its staunch support of Hong Kong, and the international community for placing their trust and confidence in the city. ADVERTISEMENT 'The IOMed will provide a pathway for countries – regardless of culture, language and legal system – to resolve international disputes based on mutual respect and understanding,' Mr Lee said. 'This is increasingly important amid mounting geopolitical tensions.' Mr Lee underscored that the IOMed reflected a shared confidence in mediation as a peaceful means to maintain international peace and security, as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations. HKSAR's Chief Executive John Lee speaks at the signing ceremony. The Chief Executive also set out Hong Kong's advantages as an effective 'super connector' and 'super value-adder' and said the city would actively promote the IOMed's valuable work in settling international disputes through mediation. 'Despite geopolitical turbulence, Hong Kong builds bridges, not walls,' Mr Lee said. 'Under our unique 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong is the only world city that enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage. 'We are the only common law jurisdiction in China, and the only jurisdiction in the world with a bilingual common law system in both Chinese and English. We have a long tradition of the rule of law, and our courts exercise their judicial power independently.' ADVERTISEMENT With a robust, efficient and well-respected legal system as well as world-class legal and dispute resolution services professionals, Hong Kong is also the most preferred seat for arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region. The IOMed headquarters will be located at the site of the former Wan Chai Police Station, once renovation of the Grade 2 historic building is completed. 'I'm happy to say that it could open its doors as early as the end of this year,' said Mr Lee. 'We look forward not only to welcoming its new occupants, but also to supporting them in building new bridges for a more connected, peaceful and prosperous future through mediation.' Representatives from over 30 countries, including China and countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, jointly signed the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong on May 30. In the afternoon, the Global Forum on International Mediation discussed topics such as mediation of disputes among countries and mediation of international investment and commercial disputes and the contributions that the IOMed can make. Hashtag: #hongkong #brandhongkong #asiasworldcity #mediation The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
China to challenge the UN? Xi Jinping makes big move, Beijing establishes world's first...
China has established the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong. (File) International Organization for Mediation (IOMed): The United Nations (UN) has been largely unsuccessful in resolving any major conflicts in the past few decades, such as the Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine war, and even failed to deter countries like Pakistan from supporting terror groups on its soil. All these failures have raised questions about UN's efficacy and utility in the modern geopolitical scenario, with many describing the global body as 'toothless', and demanding a restructuring of its workings. China to challenge the UN? Now, China may have just taken the first step in replacing UN as the world's foremost arbitration/mediation body, as Beijing has set up an international mediation group in Hong Kong, which includes more than 30 countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Belarus, Laos, Cambodia, and Cuba, whose representatives signed the treaty to become the founding members of the new China-led organization. According to reports, representatives of about 50 other countries and 20 organizations, including the United Nations, attended the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), at its newly-established headquarters in Hong Kong. China will play mediator Speaking at the event, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing has long been advocating resolving differences via mutual understanding and building consensus through dialogue. Yi said China's role in body would be to provide mediation in conflicts between countries, and stated that purpose of the body is to promote amicable resolution of international disputes to foster harmonious relations among nations. He said the scope of cases that would be handled include disputes between countries, between a country and nationals of another country and between private international entities, Reuters reported. 'World's first inter-governmental legal organization' Notably, Beijing has described IOMed as world's first inter-governmental legal organization which aims to resolve disputes through arbitration, and act as a mechanism to safeguard principles enshrined in the UN Charter. The organization will begin operations by the end of this year, according to Hong Kong leader John Lee. According to experts, China hopes that its new global organization will be on par with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and also bolster the credentials of Hong Kong as a global centre of arbitration of disputes among countries, akin to The Hague. Earlier this week, John Lee said the body's status would be on part with the ICJ and the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the United Nations in The Hague, according to Reuters.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
China Mocks Itself With Own World Court? Beijing To Serve Int'l Justice In Hong Kong
China has just launched its own version of the International Court of Justice and it's headquartered in the heart of Hong Kong. But who exactly is expected to accept Beijing as a neutral arbiter of global justice? And what does it mean when the court is built in a city where pro-democracy protests were crushed, and freedom of speech curbed? In this episode of Grey Zone, Ananya Dutta breaks down China's new "International Organization for Mediation." Who are the 32 countries backing it? Why is Russia missing from the list? And what is China really offering — a fairer system for the Global South, or a new global bench where it plays the judge, jury, and executioner? This story isn't just about a building in Hong Kong — it's about a potential new world order. The question is: is China filling a vacuum — or building one of its own?
