The International Organization for Mediation and Multilateral Diplomacy

On October 20, 2025, the International Organization for Mediation was inaugurated in Hong Kong, China, setting a historic precedent in diplomacy and international cooperation.

At China's initiative, in 2022, with the aim of proposing the creation of a multilateral organization that would be responsible for international mediation, the organization's operating system was designed from its legal framework to its institutional framework, so that, in May 2025, 33 so-called founding countries would proceed to sign the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed).

The Convention in question consists of 63 Articles, divided into 11 Chapters, which establish the Organization, its board of directors, its secretariat, the lists of mediators, the scope of cases, the mediation procedure, settlement agreements, financing, privileges and immunities, and final clauses.

Article 3 envisages among its purposes the peaceful settlement of disputes, and among its objectives cooperation  through mediation.

It is important to note that this Organization was created at the initiative of China to promote international mediation as a legal tool for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The Organization was created in the absence of a multilateral organization dedicated solely to mediation between States.

Its institutional structure includes the Governing Council, the Secretariat, Mediation Panels, Subsidiary Institutions or Advisory Bodies.

This initiative highlights China's commitment to diplomacy and multilateralism, as another of the objectives of the International Organization for Mediation is to promote international cooperation.

Thus, this Organization rethinks the panorama of multilateral diplomacy by formally recognizing mediation as a tool for resolving disputes between States.