
- Ratifying the Singapore Convention could be a boon for cross-border mediation, providing more reliable enforcement powers.
2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year for mediation. This year has already seen the ICC Dispute Resolution Services publish record figures for the ICC International Centre for ADR (registering 80 new requests for its services) and the UK Ministry of Justice publish a consultation paper in February on the Singapore Convention on Mediation, calling for views from interested parties on whether the UK should become party to the Convention and implement it in UK domestic law. The Convention is widely regarded as the missing piece in the international dispute resolution enforcement framework. The consultation closed on 1 April.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Singapore Convention on 20 December 2018, and the UK is yet to become a signatory. The Convention is a significant recent development in the area of mediation. There are currently 55 signatories (18 of which are Commonwealth nations, including Australia, India and