Singapore Convention on Mediation

On 7 August 2019, the United Nations (UN) Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (known as the “Singapore Convention on Mediation”) was signed in Singapore by 46 UN members – on the day it opened for signatures. Malaysia was among the first signatories to the Singapore Convention on Mediation. The other states include the US, China, India, Laos, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Brunei and Singapore.

The Convention will enable and facilitate the enforcement of mediated settlement agreements among the signatory states, in a manner similar to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the “New York Convention”) for arbitral awards.

The Convention is a significant step forward in promoting the use of mediation as a mode of dispute resolution and to encourage parties to come to the mediation table in order to resolve their disputes. The Convention comes into force six months after at least three signatory states have formally ratified it.

For enquiries, contact our partner, Sharon Chong (Email: sharoncty@skrine.com).