Singapore Mediation Convention

Background

The impetus for the Singapore Convention on Mediation arose at the February 2014 public meeting of the U.S. State Department's Advisory Committee on Public International Law, when Professor S.I. Strong suggested work on a convention concerning the international enforcement of mediation and settlement agreements. In June 2014, the United States - led by U.S. State Department Attorney-Advisor Timothy Schnabel - submitted a proposal to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) concerning a new instrument involving enforcement of settlement agreements arising out of mediation. The Commission referred the matter to UNCITRAL Working Group II, and deliberations ensued. The text was finalized by UNCITRAL on June 25, 2018, and adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 20, 2018.

The Singapore Convention on Mediation opened for signature on August 7, 2019, and saw a record 46 countries, including both the United States and China, sign on opening day.