New path for international dispute resolution as IOMed inaugurated

Kuda Bwititi in BEIJING, China

THE International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was this week inaugurated in Hong Kong, China, in a development expected to enhance the resolution of international disputes through mediation, not coercion.

Zimbabwe is a founding member of the IOMed, as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira was one of the ministers who signed the convention in Hong Kong in May this year.

Spearheaded by China, the IOMed aims to promote the peaceful resolution of international disputes.

IOMed carries profound significance for Africa as the continent has long been underrepresented in global conflict resolution institutions.

At this week’s inauguration ceremony, nearly 200 representatives from more than 30 Founding States of the IOMed, as well as from various sectors of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), were in attendance.

In his keynote remarks, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying noted that in just five months, the IOMed Convention was signed and brought into force.

“This speed is unprecedented in the history of establishing international organisations. This fully demonstrates that the establishment of the IOMed echoes the call of our times and enjoys extensive support from the international community,” he said.

The vision behind the establishment of the IOMed is highly consistent with that of China’s Global Governance Initiative.

It upholds reconciliation, cooperation and harmony, adhering to fairness, justice and equity. Additionally, the IOMed is committed to extensive consultation, joint contributions for shared benefits, a people-centred approach and commitment to real action.

It is expected that the IOMed will contribute to improving the international legal system and give a boost to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The establishment of the IOMed will also forge Hong Kong’s new title of ”the capital of mediation”.

After the signing ceremony of the Convention on the IOMed in Hong Kong on May 30, the Convention entered into force on August 29, culminating in this week’s inauguration.

Currently, the Convention has 37 Signatory States. The IOMed will supplement existing international litigation and arbitration mechanisms and provide a new platform for all parties to peacefully settle international disputes through mediation.