Justice chief says IOMed will serve all countries, including non-founding members
發佈日期: 2025-06-01 19:54
TVB News
As the International Organization for Mediation is going to set up its headquarters in Hong Kong.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam told TVB News the body will provide mediation services to resolve disputes as an alternative to arbitration.
He also said the mediation platform will serve all countries, including those that are not among the 33 founding countries, and he looks forward to having new members.
Initiated by China, the International Organization for Mediation, or IOMed, was established with 33 countries signing up to become founding members, and they agreed the new body will be headquartered in Hong Kong.
Speaking with TVB News, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said he is optimistic that more countries will sign up and use the services of the organisation.
Reporter asked, "there have been opinions questioning the 33 countries that signed the convention are mostly from the Belt and Road Initiative. Looking ahead, are you expecting more countries from the West joining?"
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said, " I think you have to look at the matter in context. At the time of negotiation, if I remember correctly, there were only around 19 countries taking part in negotiation.But when it comes to deciding the treaty, it turned out that altogether 33 countries decided to sign the treaty, which is substantially more than the countries taking part in the negotiation. And then these are only the first batch of countries signing the treaty. The treaty is open for signature by any other countries who is willing to do so. So, this is not the final number. When it comes to the provision of mediation service, it will look at the content of the treaty. It also said that even if a country is not a contracting party of the convention, and subject to certain condition, they are still welcome to utilise the mediation service to be provided by the IOMed."
When asked whether the IOMed could play a role in conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas war or the conflict in Ukraine, Lam said the body will handle the case as long as both parties agreed to pursue mediation.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said, "there's a very important condition. Before a case will be handled by the IOMed, it is only with the consent of the parties to the disputes. So, if the parties to the disputes agree, then in principle, it can be handled by the IOMed. But at the end of the day, it depends on the agreement of the two parties."
Lam said compared with international arbitration, mediation aims to achieve a win-win solution on a voluntary basis,and he believes both parties will likely comply with the mediation results.
Meanwhile, some foreign non-permanent judges resigned from the Court of Final Appeal in recent years. With the number of such judges still serving in the top court falling from double digits to only six.
They are from the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Lam said although the law does not set a required number of non-permanent judges, the authorities will try their best to recruit overseas judges.
He said the participation of more non-permanent judges with profound judicial experience overseas in the top court will contribute to the development of Hong Kong's common law system, making it more effective and international in nature.
