Hong Kong-based legal body can fill ‘glaring’ global gap, justice minister says

A newly established international mediation body headquartered in Hong Kong can fill a gap in existing global dispute resolution systems, the city’s justice minister has said, as he stressed the importance of institutional support.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said on Friday that Hong Kong’s advantages under the “one country, two systems” governing principle made it the most suitable location for setting up the International Organisation for Mediation.

Lam was addressing guests at a forum on mediation, held just after 33 countries had signed on to become founding members of the China-led legal body.

“While mediation may be conducted on an ad hoc basis, there are clear advantages to conducting mediation with institutional support,” Lam said.

He cited guidance on procedures, the identification of a pool of mediators and help in making appointments as examples of support.

“It is most desirable to have an intergovernmental organisation devoted to the use of mediation to resolve international disputes,” he said.