February 16, 2024
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s justice chief announced on Wednesday that the headquarters of the planned International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) will be established in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and that the government plans to convert the Old Wan Chai Police Station into the IOMed’s office.
Describing the move as “the first good news in the Year of the Dragon”, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said the decision was made at a recent meeting on the preparatory work for the organization — which will be the world’s first intergovernmental international legal body dedicated to settling international disputes by mediation, and also the first intergovernmental international organization based in the Hong Kong SAR.
Lam (the justice chief Paul Lam Ting-kwok) said that he will explain in detail the SAR government’s plan to convert the site of the Old Wan Chai Police Station into the IOMed office to the Legislative Council’s Public Works Subcommittee later this month
In a social media post on Wednesday, Lam said the parties involved in the organization’s preparatory work have agreed that China will serve as IOMed’s host country, and the SAR government will provide a solid guarantee for the future operation of the organization under the guidance and support of the central government.
Lam added that the organization will serve as a valuable complement to the existing dispute resolution mechanisms, offering new options for the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
Lam said that he will explain in detail the SAR government’s plan to convert the site of the Old Wan Chai Police Station into the IOMed office to the Legislative Council’s Public Works Subcommittee later this month.
The parties involved in establishing the organization have agreed that the site for its headquarters must be available by 2025.
Built in 1932, the Old Wan Chai Police Station is a Grade 2 historic building with four stories.
Speaking in an interview with Ta Kung Pao earlier, Lam emphasized that the establishment of the organization reflects the international community’s recognition of Hong Kong as a leading hub for international law and dispute resolution services. He also believes that the organization’s presence will create more job opportunities and attract more legal talent to Hong Kong.
In 2022, China, along with other countries and regions — including Indonesia, Pakistan, Laos, Cambodia, Serbia, Belarus, Sudan, Algeria and Djibouti — signed the Joint Statement on the Future Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation, with the aim of promoting the use of mediation for resolving international conflicts in a friendly and amicable manner.
On Feb 16, 2023, the organization’s preparatory office was established in Hong Kong to carry out the preparatory work for establishing the IOMed.