A signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) was held on Friday in Hong Kong, China.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the ceremony along with representatives from more than 60 countries and nearly 20 international organizations, including the United Nations.
A total of 32 countries signed the convention during the ceremony, becoming founding members of the IOMed, the world's first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation.
Wang delivered a speech at the event, in which he said the IOMed offers a new path for peaceful and inclusive global dispute resolution and will serve as an important mechanism in safeguarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
The Global Forum on International Mediation was held on Friday afternoon, where the attendees had discussions on "mediation of disputes between States" and "mediation of disputes between a State and foreign investors and commercial disputes," among other issues.
In 2022, China and about 20 other like-minded countries jointly launched the initiative to establish the IOMed.
Through concerted efforts, negotiations on the convention on the establishment of the international body have been concluded, and all sides agreed to situate the IOMed's headquarters in Hong Kong.
The organization is expected to start operations early next year.
Signing ceremony of Convention on Establishment of International Organization for Mediation held in Hong Kong
