Li Song, China's permanent representative to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, speaks at a promotion reception for the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Vienna, Austria, July 18, 2025. The IOMed will serve as a leading intergovernmental organization to help settle international disputes through mediation, a Chinese envoy said Friday. (Xinhua/He Canling)

VIENNA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) will serve as a leading intergovernmental organization to help settle international disputes through mediation, a Chinese envoy said Friday.

Li Song, China's permanent representative to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, made the remarks at a promotion reception for the IOMed held during the 58th session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Noting that the UN Charter clearly stipulates that mediation is one of the preferred methods for the peaceful settlement of international disputes, Li said the IOMed will be the world's first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation.

UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret noted that she witnessed the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the IOMed in Hong Kong in May this year. She hoped the IOMed would strengthen cooperation with UNCITRAL in the future to jointly promote the development of the international rule of law.

The IOMed is an important global public good provided by China together with countries sharing similar ideas to meet the development trend of and the need for international mediation.

According to the IOMed convention, the IOMed will provide mediation services for the settlement of three types of international disputes submitted by the parties by mutual consent expressed before or after the dispute arises: disputes between states, commercial or investment disputes between a state and a national of another state, and international commercial disputes between private parties. ■

Anna Joubin-Bret, secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, speaks at a promotion reception for the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Vienna, Austria, July 18, 2025. The IOMed will serve as a leading intergovernmental organization to help settle international disputes through mediation, a Chinese envoy said Friday. (Xinhua/He Canling)