Business disputes are expected to make up the bulk of cases at Hong Kong’s new International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), which plans to accelerate its outreach efforts entering its second year of operation, secretary general Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said in an interview.

Commercial cases account for up to 95 per cent of all disputes worldwide, while no more than 5 per cent involve states, and IOMed “naturally” expected a similar spread for its own caseload, Cheng said on the sidelines of the One Earth Summit in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Cheng declined to disclose the number of cases the IOMed has handled so far, citing confidentiality.

Hong Kong-based IOMed is the world’s first intergovernmental body dedicated to settling disputes through mediation. The IOMed now has 48 signatory states – up from 37 at its inauguration in October 2025.

Global interest in the IOMed had grown as countries “see the importance of mediation” as a way to resolve disputes, instead of “contentious, adversarial proceedings”, according to Cheng.

Cheng said last week on the organisation’s first anniversary that it had successfully mediated a dispute concerning an infrastructure construction project in Malaysia. Representatives from IOMed said in May that it had resolved a maritime dispute involving parties from mainland China and Singapore.

Rising geopolitical tensions globally offered the IOMed team opportunities to facilitate dialogues, according to Cheng.

“Whenever there is conflict, I think it’s important to bear in mind that one can start by engaging in dialogue.”While the IOMed currently focused on developing countries, Cheng said that it was considered an “open and inclusive” organisation that welcomed both major and smaller economies.

One of the first places IOMed representatives visited last year was the United Nations in New York, while American officials visited the IOMed headquarters, Cheng said.

Across the world, discussions were ongoing with government officials in the US, Bangladesh, Switzerland and Austria, according to Cheng.

“We will continue to do what is good,” she said. “Because I don’t think anyone ... would say that mediation is not to be promoted. And all we do is promote mediation.”Though the IOMed was competing with commercial dispute resolution hubs such as Singapore, Cheng said that its nature as the first intergovernmental organisation for mediation gave it an edge.

While it is attempting to build a proven track record as a newly formed organisation, the IOMed was now “more ready” to ramp up its outreach efforts, including providing mediation training programmes, Cheng said.