The Singapore Convention on Mediation, which seeks to give cross-border mediation settlements the force of law, came into force on September 12 this year.
The signing of the Convention in August last year marked the strengthening of the international dispute resolution framework with a view to easing trade and commerce among countries.
More than a year since India, China, the United States and a host of other nations signed the Convention, Bar & Bench spoke to Edwin Tong, Singapore's Second Minister for Law, to get a better idea of what the Convention seeks to achieve.
In this interview, Minister Tong, who was formerly a Partner at Allen & Gledhill LLP, speaks about how the Convention can help with contractual disputes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of lawyers in ensuring that mediation becomes a more accepted form of dispute resolution, and more.