For information only - not an official document
UNIS/L/278
7 August 2019
VIENNA, 7 August (UN Information Service) - The United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (the "Singapore Convention on Mediation") opened for signature in Singapore today, 7 August 2019. Afghanistan (Islamic Republic of), Belarus, Benin, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, China (People's Republic of), Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (the), Eswatini (Kingdom of), Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Israel, Jamaica, Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom of), Kazakhstan, Laos (Peoples Democratic Republic of), Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montenegro, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, the Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of), Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of), Timor-Leste (Democratic Republic of), Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) are the 46 States that signed the Convention at today's ceremony, which was attended by delegations from more than 70 States.
This marks the first occasion that a multilateral convention prepared under the auspices of the United Nations is named after Singapore. To commemorate this event, Singapore put together a comprehensive programme and organized related events to celebrate the opening for signature (www.singaporeconvention.org/). Formal opening addresses were given by Lee Hsien Loong (Prime Minister of Singapore), Antonio Guterres (Secretary-General of the United Nations, by video), and Stephen Mathias (Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs for the United Nations).
The Convention is a landmark instrument, prepared by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and adopted in December last year by the UN General Assembly. By providing for the first time a cross-border enforcement mechanism for settlement agreements that result from mediation, the Convention brings certainty and stability to the international framework on mediation, thereby promoting more prosperous, stable and sustainable international trade relationships among States and regions. The Convention will undoubtedly enhance the use of mediation and will therefore foster access to justice.
The Singapore Convention on Mediation is complemented by the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Mediation and International Settlement Agreements resulting from Mediation (2018), which was developed by UNCITRAL in parallel to the Singapore Convention. This provides States with the flexibility in implementing the cross-border enforcement mechanism and achieving a comprehensive legal framework on mediation.
During the signing ceremony, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the United Nations and the Government of Singapore for collaborating in promoting international mediation and other dispute settlement methods as well as in supporting the harmonized use of the Singapore Convention and other UNCITRAL instruments.
For up-to-date information about the parties and signatories to the Convention, please see the UNCITRAL website: uncitral.un.org
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The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its mandate is to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development. UNCITRAL also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts. The UNCITRAL Secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria, and maintains a website at uncitral.un.org.
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For information, please contact:
José Angelo
Estrella Faria
Principal Legal Officer and Head, Legislative Branch
UNCITRAL Secretariat
Email: joseangelo.estrella-faria[at]un.org
