Opinion | Hong Kong’s role as global mediation hub will bring untold benefits
The International Organisation for Mediation will raise Hong Kong’s profile and boost the city’s soft power
The peaceful settlement of international disputes is a fundamental principle of international law and relations. Both the UN Charter (Article 33) and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States adopted alongside in 1970 set out mediation as one of the means to settle international disputes.
In the 2012 UN report “Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution”, accompanied by guidance on effective mediation, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon affirmed that mediation remained one of the most effective and promising ways to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts.
Mediation is a voluntary process in which both sides seek an acceptable solution through the help of a neutral third party. Compared with other methods, it is more forward-looking, constructive and conducive to repairing the relationship between the two sides. There is yet no organisation established among governments that is dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation.