This month (August 2026) has been another active and meaningful month
for HKMAAL.
I had the pleasure of representing HKMAAL at a number of local and
international occasions, each of which provided a valuable platform to share
updates on HKMAAL’s work, exchange views with fellow professionals across
jurisdictions and reaffirm HKMAAL’s commitment to promoting the updated Hong
Kong Mediation Code ("Code”).
Strengthening
professional exchange in mediation across jurisdictions
On 5 August 2026, I participated as a panel speaker at the 3rd Joint
Legal Workshop 2026 ("Workshop”), co-organised by the Department of
Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and
the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea. At the Workshop, I
highlighted the key features of the updated Code and reiterated that there is
no nationality requirement under HKMAAL’s accreditation framework. HKMAAL, as
always, welcomes Korean and overseas practitioners to seek HKMAAL accreditation
and join the "Hong Kong Team”.
Upon the kind invitation by the International Mediation Institute, I
spoke alongside international mediators and dispute resolution professionals on
24 August 2026 at the event "Mediation
Ethics at the Frontier: Emerging and Professional Standards”. On that occasion, I shared Hong Kong
experiences and perspectives on a range of issues, including mediator fees, the
advantages and disadvantages of contingent fee arrangements, and regulatory
frameworks for enforcing codes of practice.
From these exchanges, I have noted a growing interest among ADR
organisations and practitioners in the region in building robust compliance
frameworks for mediators and mediation practices. Such a phenomenon confirms
that mediation practice is a mature profession that warrants a clear compliance
regime.
Upholding
the updated Hong Kong Mediation Code
All HKMAAL Mediators are required to comply with the Code as part of
their accreditation and annual panel membership renewal. To further enhance
awareness of and compliance with the updated Code among mediation practitioners
in Hong Kong, HKMAAL circulated a letter to its twelve Member Organisations on
14 August 2026 seeking their support in ensuring that non-HKMAAL mediators
remaining on their panels are made aware of, and subject to, the Code when
providing mediation services. HKMAAL has also written to Financial Dispute
Resolution Centre ("FDRC”) and eBRAM. I am pleased to note that FDRC has
responded supportively and trust HKMAAL will have the same support from eBRAM.
On this note, I am pleased to share that I will be speaking (in
English) on the updated Code at another seminar co-organised by FDRC and HKMAAL
on 21 September 2026 (click Here for
more information).
Supporting
mediation development in the younger generations and in new area
HKMAAL is honoured to be a supporting organisation of the Hong Kong
Federation of Youth Groups’ Greater Bay Area Youth Mediation Training Centre ("Training
Centre”), and I attended the launch ceremony of the Training Centre as an
invited guest on 15 August 2026.
On 18 August 2026, a delegation from the Light Volleyball Association
of Hong Kong, China visited HKMAAL. The delegation was led by its President,
Mr. Xie Feng, together with Ms. Sun Yue, a former member of the China women’s
national volleyball team. I had great pleasure of introducing to the delegation
the work of HKMAAL and highlighting recent developments in sports mediation in
Hong Kong.
On 28 August 2026, the Vice-Chairman of HKMAAL, Mr. Ronald Sum JP,
attended the launch event of the Healthcare Dispute Resolution Centre’s website
and its online dispute resolution platform.
International
Mediators?
HKMAAL has recently received enquiries as to whether it will introduce
a new panel of "International Mediator”. I would like to share that HKMAAL
maintains its position towards "International Mediators” as summarised by Mr.
Rimsky Yuen SC (the former Chairman of HKMAAL) in the newspaper interview by
Wenweipo (click HERE, in
Traditional Chinese only).
Professor TK Iu
Chairman
Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Limited
(Click HERE to view the previous editions of the "Chairman's Message")
