International Commercial Mediation

UNCITRAL recognized the value of conciliation or mediation, an interchangeable term used to adapt to the actual and practical use, as a method of amicably settling disputes arising in the context of international commercial relations and responded by adopting the UNCITRAL Conciliation Rules (1980), which offer an internationally harmonized set of procedural rules for the conduct of conciliation proceedings. Further, in the context of recognition of the increasing use of conciliation as a method for settling commercial disputes, the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Conciliation (2002) was initially developed and later amended by the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Mediation and International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (2018). It complements the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, which opened for signature in Singapore on 7 August 2019. The Convention will further enhance the use of mediation and foster access to justice. Currently, UNCITRAL is working on updating the UNCITRAL Conciliation Rules (1980) and preparing notes on organizing mediation proceedings.