The Singapore Convention on Mediation and the Seven Keys

One year ago on this date, the Singapore Convention on Mediation was signed by 46 countries in Singapore. To commemorate the first anniversary of the Convention, it is fitting to share the Seven Keys to Unlock Mediation’s Golden Age. 

The Seven Keys is a series of peer-reviewed articles and videos that aim to spark discussion on navigating mediation into its best future. Thought leaders from around the world envisioned what it would take to bring mediation to the next level. The discourse spans myriad cultures, disciplines and areas of practice, suggesting the vast relevance of mediation from parenting to politics to peacekeeping. In other words, mediation knows no bounds and that is what the editors Nadja Alexander, Lela P. Love, and Michael Leathes encourage us to imagine – a world where mediation is in and of itself, a way of life. 

It would not be unrealistic to say we are not too far off from that world. The Convention certainly has had an influence, and countries are awakening to the benefits of an international enforcement mechanism for trade, business and their communities. 53 countries have now signed the Convention; five have ratified. The Convention enters into force in a little over a month.  

On this anniversary of the signing ceremony, we celebrate this milestone and hope that the Convention will grow from strength to strength. 

As SIMC chairman George Lim, SC writes under the Sixth Key: “The Singapore Convention on Mediation represents the dawn of a new era in dispute resolution on a global scale. We can all persuade our Governments to sign, ratify and implement the Convention.”