The Singapore Convention : Five Years On

This chapter discusses the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation 2018 ('The Singapore Convention on Mediation') that has sought to undergird international commercial mediation with a unified enforcement mechanism for settlements reached within the process. The chapter begins by discussing the origins and development of the Convention before examining its main provisions and underpinning rationale. By drawing on recent empirical evidence, the international reception thus far, and how the terms of the Convention are making inroads into States' domestic regimes, the chapter then casts an eye over the progress the Convention has made in the past 5 years. In discussing the potential future impact of the Convention, the chapter focuses on such issues as the development of common mediation standards, areas of uncertainty in the Convention's drafting and Convention's role in legitimising mediation in the eyes of would-be users and their lawyers.