At the first Governing Council meeting on 20 October 2025,the International Organization for Mediation (“IOMed”)was authorized to commence its operations as of the same date. The Governing Council appointed Prof. Teresa CHENG Yeuk-wah SC as the Secretary-General, and Dr. SUN Jin as the Deputy Secretary-General.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Mr. John LEE, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and representatives of the 8 contracting States as well as 87 senior officials from 31 States out of the 37 signatory States.
Chairperson of Governing Council, H.E. HUA Chunying said the vision behind the establishment of IOMed is highly consistent with that of the Global Governance Initiative of China. Its establishment offers a new platform in the field of international rule of law.
The Secretary-General Prof. Teresa CHENG Yeuk-wah SC said IOMed cherishes and practices multilateralism serving as a global public good and vital pillar in the field of peaceful settlement of international disputes. The main purpose of IOMed is to provide mediation services for disputes between States, international investment and international commercial disputes.
The Headquarters of IOMed is housed at a heritage building in the HKSAR, the Old Wan Chai Police Station, which is one of the few remaining pre-war police stations. The Headquarters is equipped with state-of-the-art mediation rooms and breakout rooms for mediations and capacity building.
The Signing Ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of IOMed was held on May 30, 2025, during which 33 signatory States signed the Convention. The Convention entered into force on 29 August 2025. As of today, 8 countries have ratified the Convention, namely, China, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Congo, Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya and Dominica.
