(Photo by HKSAR government’s information services department)
The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), inaugurated in Hong Kong on 20 October, has appointed former Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong Teresa Cheng as its first secretary-general, and will also serve as its legal representative and chief executive officer.
IOMed is a body built from consensus, based on inclusivity, equality, mutual respect and understanding, and would act as a vital pillar in the peaceful settlement of international disputes, Cheng said at the inauguration ceremony.
Cheng is a senior counsel and an expert in international arbitration. She previously worked as a deputy judge and recorder at the Court of First Instance of Hong Kong’s High Court before taking up her post as secretary for justice.
Hua Chunying, vice-minister of foreign affairs of China, also attended the ceremony. “This establishment [IOMed] offers a new platform in the field of international rule of law. The IOMed upholds reconciliation, co-operation and harmony. It stresses the autonomy of parties concerned, champions equal consultation, and pursues win-win co-operation,” she said in her opening remarks.
Hua added that IOMed would help facilitate the resolution of global disputes through legal measures, leveraging mediation’s distinct advantages, including flexibility, cost-effectiveness, accessibility and efficiency.
Other guests included Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Andrew Cheung, and representatives of states that signed the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation.
IOMed is the world’s first intergovernmental international legal organisation dedicated to resolving global disputes through mediation. Preparations for its establishment began in February 2023, and it will handle cases involving disputes between states, between a state and a national of another state, as well as international commercial disputes between private parties.
