On October 20, 2025, the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) held its inauguration ceremony in the Hong Kong SAR. John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR; Hua Chunying, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China; and approximately 200 guests, including representatives from over 30 signatory and contracting states to the IOMed Convention and figures from various sectors, attended the event.
On May 30, 2025, the signing ceremony for the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation was held in Hong Kong SAR, and the Convention officially entered into force on August 29, 2025. As of now, there are 37 signatories, and 8 countries have ratified the Convention, including China, Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Republic of the Congo, Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya, and Dominica.
As the first international organization headquartered in the Hong Kong SAR, the establishment of IOMed puts into practice the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. It will complement existing international arbitration and litigation institutions and provide a new platform for all parties to peacefully resolve international disputes.
The ceremony was hosted by Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, SC, Secretary-General of the IOMed. Representatives from the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) Council and the South China International Arbitration Center (HK) (SCIAHK) Board of Directors, including Liu Xiaochun, Liu Chunhua, Jiang Xiaowen, and Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, SC, were invited to attend the event.
Speech by John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR
Hua Chunying, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China and President of the Inaugural Council of the IOMed, delivered a speech.
The event was hosted by Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, SC, the first Secretary-General of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed).
Group photo of IOMed Contracting and Signatory State representatives
Guests at the IOMed Inauguration Ceremony
Liu Chunhua, Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung SC, and Liu Xiaochun of the SCIA Council
Liu Xiaochun, Jiang Xiaowen, and Liu Chunhua of the SCIA Council
