HONG KONG – The Working Group on the Greater Bay Area Mediation Platform on Thursday promulgated the local accreditation rules for accreditation of mediators of three places – Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

Under the rules, an applicant who wishes to apply for accreditation as a GBA mediator through Hong Kong must fulfil specific requirements including upholding the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, and “one country, two systems”.

Besides completing a designated GBA mediator training course, the applicants should have at least five years' work experience

The applicant should also complete the designated GBA mediator training course successfully; complete mediation in at least five cases; possess at least five years' work experience, with at least three years as a mediator, as well as have good professional ethics with no record of being reprimanded or disciplined for disrepute or professional misconduct.

During the Fifth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Legal Departments Joint Conference on Dec 7, 2023, the three parties had in-depth discussions on topics including their respective local accreditation rules for accreditation of GBA mediators and taking forward the establishment of a GBA mediator panel, based on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Mediator Accreditation Standards. 

They reached an agreement to promulgate and implement their respective local accreditation rules for accreditation of GBA mediators in the first quarter of this year.

In line with that decision, the working group – which was established in August 2021 with representatives from the legal departments of Guangdong province, the Hong Kong and Macao SARs to assist the operation of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Mediation Platform – discussed the respective local accreditation rules in each of the three places and decided to publish the rules on Thursday.

The Department of Justice of Hong Kong formulated the rules applicable to the accreditation through Hong Kong, based on the requirements of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Mediator Accreditation Standards.