Hong Kong pushes mediation hub role with global dialogue
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
At the first fireside session of the International Organization for Mediation's Global Dialogue, three past and present Hong Kong justice secretaries appeared together to discuss the city's mediation development. Former justice secretary and the organization's secretary-general Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah (鄭若驊) said the headquarters being based in Hong Kong is international recognition of the city and could help it become an international capital for mediation.
Key Points
- The Global Dialogue fireside talk was held on September 24 by the International Organization for Mediation, bringing together Teresa Cheng, current Justice Secretary Paul Lam Ting-kwok and former justice secretary Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung
- Yuen said 2007 to 2009 were pivotal years for Hong Kong mediation, with the 2007 Policy Address formally backing mediation and the Lehman Brothers fallout helping drive civil justice reform
- Yuen said Hong Kong's Mediation Ordinance and Apology Ordinance are broadly sufficient, adding that many Asian jurisdictions still lack comparable legal frameworks for mediation
- Lam said a Department of Justice working group set up in 2022 completed a review in 2024 and proposed changes, including amending the Mediation Ordinance and creating an independent, credible arrangement for mediator selection
- Lam said the mediation body's founding convention was signed in Hong Kong in May last year, the headquarters opened in October, and signatories have risen from 33 to 48, with 18 now contracting states
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong, the discussion ties local mediation reform to the city's wider ambition to strengthen its role as an international legal and dispute resolution centre. Continued government backing for the Hong Kong-headquartered organization could expand the use of mediation in cross-border and international disputes, especially through Greater Bay Area cooperation and broader official promotion