HONG KONG - Negotiations on the Convention on the Establishment of The International Organization for Mediation concluded on Thursday, said a spokesperson for the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Representatives of all sides concerned decided at the four-day fifth session of the Elaboration of the Convention ending on Thursday that the signing ceremony for the convention will be held in Hong Kong in 2025, the spokesperson said.

The International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) to be headquartered in Hong Kong will be the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, according to the spokesperson.

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Following the signing of the Joint Statement on the Future Establishment of The International Organization for Mediation by China and other like-minded countries in 2022, the International Organization for Mediation Preparatory Office was established in Hong Kong in February 2023 to coordinate the conclusion of negotiations on the convention.

The spokesperson said, "The establishment of the IOMed headquarters in Hong Kong demonstrates the city's unique advantages and opportunities in international mediation ... Upon its establishment, the IOMed will provide friendly, flexible, economical and efficient mediation services, thereby building Hong Kong as a capital for international mediation."

The initiative demonstrated the cenntral government's staunch support to HKSAR in establishing the city as a center for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, according to the spokesperson. 

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The IOMed Preparatory Office will continue to perform the function as the IOMed's interim secretariat until the IOMed is formally established, the spokesperson added.