For information only - not an official document

UNIS/L/293
13 March 2020

The United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation will enter into force following ratification by Singapore, Fiji and Qatar

VIENNA, 13 March (UN Information Service) - With the deposit of the instrument of ratification by Qatar on 12 March 2020 at the UN Headquarters in New York, the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, also known as the "Singapore Convention on Mediation" will enter into force in six months, on 12 September 2020. Qatar is the third State to ratify the Convention, following the ratification on 25 February 2020 by Singapore and Fiji.

The Singapore Convention on Mediation facilitates international trade and promotes mediation as an alternative and effective method of resolving commercial disputes by providing an effective mechanism for the enforcement of international settlement agreements resulting from mediation.

The Convention is open for signature, ratification, and accession by States and regional economic integration organizations. In addition to Singapore, Fiji and Qatar, forty-nine States have signed the Convention since it opened for signature on 7 August 2019, making it one of the most successful multilateral treaties prepared by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Up-to-date information on the Convention and its status is available on 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