Membership in the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), the first treaty-based intergovernmental body dedicated exclusively to mediation that is headquartered in Wan Chai, has grown to 47 signatory states from 37 since its inauguration in October, its secretary-general said on Thursday.

Speaking at the Belt and Road Summit, IOMed chief Teresa Cheng said the organisation now has 16 contracting states, all of which are participants in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Senior leaders from Uzbekistan, Laos, Kazakhstan, Timor-Leste and founding IOMed member Pakistan, she noted, were among those present at the summit.

Cheng said the organisation administers mediation for three types of disputes: state to state, international commercial and those between investors and states.

She cited a successfully resolved maritime dispute involving a Chinese party and a Singaporean party as an early case handled through IOMed-administered mediation.

The organisation's work contributes to all five areas of Belt and Road connectivity – policy, infrastructure, trade, finance and people-to-people exchanges, Cheng said.

She described mediation as a tool to prevent escalation, preserve long-term relationships and replace zero-sum thinking with a win-win approach.

"IOMed can be a lubricant for Belt and Road cooperation so that disputes become bumps in the road rather than roadblocks," Cheng said.

The organisation plans to host dialogue series and capacity-building activities for member states and is exploring specialised panels for disputes in sectors such as commodities, aviation, and shipping.



Edited by Tony Sabine