On September 12, 2020, the United Nations Convention on
International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (the
"Singapore Convention" or the
"Convention") will enter into force. The
Singapore Convention obliges contracting States to recognize and
directly enforce mediated international settlement agreements. By
freeing entities from the need to litigate breaches of mediated
settlement agreements, the Convention is potentially a powerful
tool for the resolution of cross-border disputes.
Introduction to the Singapore Convention
The Singapore Convention is a multilateral convention that
requires contracting States to ensure that their national courts
recognize and enforce international (i.e., cross-border) settlement
agreements reached through the use of mediation. It adopts a format
similar to the highly popular and near universally adopted United
Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign
Arbitral Awards (the "New York
Convention").
