Co-organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Mediation Conference 2022 (Conference), being the highlight and finale event of Mediation Week 2022 and a celebration event of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was successfully held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (May 6). The full-day Conference attracted more than 1 200 online participants from 19 jurisdictions around the globe.
The Conference commenced with welcoming remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, noting the importance of cultivating roots for Chinese culture, showcased by mediation for young people and that the recent developments and accomplishments in Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution sector have played a crucial role in the way forward with the development of mediation in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
The keynote speaker, Professor Liu Jingdong of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, shared his insights on the effects of the signing of the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation by the Mainland, and his anticipation for the implementation of reciprocal recognition and enforcement of mediated settlement agreements in the GBA.
Speakers from Panel 1 discussed the impact of the new Mainland Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases (Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement) Ordinance (Cap. 639) on mediation, and the prospects of implementing reciprocal recognition and enforcement of mediated settlement agreements in family and matrimonial disputes in the GBA. Panel 2 speakers shared their experience in how mediation was well suited for tackling various kinds of disputes during the Covid-19 epidemic, ranging from high-value investor-state disputes to lower-value local cases under dedicated mediation schemes.
In the afternoon session, Panel 3 speakers attempted to pierce the veil of the metaverse by exploring the possible legal issues and pitfalls brought by the sphere of digital novelties, how disputes may arise in the trade of new markets such as NFT (non-fungible tokens) art and cryptocurrency, and the role of mediation in this realm of uncertainty.
During the closing remarks, the Law Officer (Civil Law) of the DoJ, Ms Christina Cheung, announced the launch of the fourth edition of "The Judge Over Your Shoulder – A Guide to Judicial Review for Administrators", available to the public on the DoJ's website. Ms Cheung also expressed that the support and contribution received throughout Mediation Week 2022 and today's Conference is a great vote of confidence to continue to promote and develop mediation.
For more detailed information on the Mediation Conference 2022 and Mediation Week 2022, please visit the designated event website.
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