As the international environment grows increasingly turbulent, the world requires a fundamental mindset shift in how it resolves disputes — one that more heavily embraces mediation.

Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, secretary-general of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), made the remarks in an interview with China Daily on Friday on the sidelines of the IOMed-hosted Global Mediation Summit — the capstone event of Hong Kong’s Mediation Week 2026.

Cheng said this dispute-resolving mission is the driving force behind the organization's work.

“The world is actually very much in a chaos right now. The geopolitics is something that of course is affecting a lot of us,” Cheng said. “It's not just a matter of one person or one country. It has to be a joint effort to resolve the conflicts that we are facing right now.”

Cheng said a crucial step toward this is establishing a global mediation ecosystem. This involves encouraging everyone to change their approach to disputes — moving away from conflict, including armed conflict, and toward dialogue — to find solutions that “accommodate the interests of all parties.”

A seasoned legal scholar, Cheng also said the critical role of nurturing young talent is to champion mediation as a primary way to settle disputes.

“In the old days, a law student would only be studying about litigation. Then some years ago, they started to study arbitration, and I think now they will start to learn mediation, which is a very important option for parties to know how to resolve their disputes,” Cheng said.

In her view, the establishment of IOMed will raise young people’s awareness of the value of mediation, helping young professionals gain a broader understanding of the international community.

As for IOMed’s international internship program, Cheng said the idea is to let students meet peers, experience working in an international organization, and gain exposure to mediation work.

“We welcome every student from around the world to come and join us,” Cheng said.

Another way that IOMed will affect law students is through their careers. “It allows you to resolve your disputes peacefully and in an amicable way. And therefore, in your operations, you're going to benefit from the use of mediation,” Cheng said.

The daylong summit was attended by more than 400 participants from 48 countries and regions.

Contact the writers at williamxu@chinadailyhk.com