China has launched the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), a new entity aimed at mediating international disputes. The organization was officially introduced on May 30 in Hong Kong, with representatives from 85 countries and about 20 international organizations attending the event. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered the keynote address during the ceremony.
IOMed is described by official Chinese media as a formal intergovernmental organization dedicated to a legal, voluntary, and nonbinding mediation process for political and economic disputes. While armed conflicts are not excluded, they are not highlighted as a primary focus of IOMed's activities.
The concept of IOMed emerged from China's involvement in mediating disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam among Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. China partially funded and built the dam and operates its power grid. This experience led to the idea of creating an organization like IOMed, which was announced in October 2022.
Sun Jin, deputy director-general of the Department of Treaty and Law at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been overseeing IOMed's creation since 2022. Sun describes IOMed as "the first intergovernmental legal organization on dispute settlement through mediation," serving as "a healthy supplement to existing dispute settlement institutions."
IOMed will focus on interstate disputes, international investment disputes, and international commercial disputes. Unlike arbitration, which can be imposed with binding results, mediation through IOMed is voluntary and nonbinding.
Hong Kong was chosen as IOMed's headquarters due to its bilingual legal system that bridges Common Law and Civil Law systems. This choice aims to enhance Hong Kong's status as an "international legal service center."
China sees IOMed as part of its broader goals to reform global governance and address economic disputes internationally. While it may take time for IOMed to establish itself alongside existing institutions, China hopes it will become a significant player in international dispute resolution.
