Harmonization of Legal Systems for the Enforcement of International Mediation Settlement Agreements in the Context of Normative Diversity and Regulatory Fragmentation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60131/jlaw.2.2026.11913Keywords:
International mediated settlement agreements (IMSAs); Singapore Convention on Mediation; enforcement of mediated settlement agreements; legal harmonization; regulatory fragmentation; cross-border dispute resolution; UNCITRAL Model Law; EU Mediation Directive; mediation; international commercial disputes.Abstract
The article examines the harmonization of legal systems governing the recognition and enforcement of international mediated settlement agreements (IMSAs) in the context of normative diversity and regulatory fragmentation. It critically analyzes the Singapore Convention on Mediation as the first universal legal instrument establishing a cross-border enforcement regime for mediated settlement agreements and evaluates its interaction with domestic legal systems, the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Mediation and International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (2018), and the EU Mediation Directive. The study identifies the principal legal and institutional obstacles to effective implementation, including divergent domestic enforcement mechanisms, inconsistent interpretation of key legal concepts, reservations adopted by Contracting States, the public policy exception, and the absence of harmonized international standards governing mediator accreditation and professional ethics. Particular attention is devoted to Georgia's implementation of the Convention and the conceptual inconsistencies arising from the interaction between international and domestic legal frameworks. Employing doctrinal, comparative, and policy-oriented legal methodologies, the article argues that the effectiveness and legitimacy of the international enforcement regime depend not only on legislative harmonization but also on coherent judicial interpretation, institutional capacity, and regulatory convergence. It concludes that achieving a predictable, coherent, and effective global enforcement framework requires coordinated international cooperation, evidence-based legal reform, and a multidimensional approach to legal harmonization that accommodates the diversity of national legal traditions while strengthening mediation as a credible mechanism for resolving international commercial disputes.
References
1. Kandashvili I. (ed.), Commentary on the Law of Georgia on Mediation, ,,Universali Publishing“, Tbilisi 2024 (in Georgian).
2. Kandashvili I., Mediation: An Effective Means of Dispute Resolution, ,,Sezani Publishing“, Tbilisi, 2022 (in Georgian).
3. Chitashvili N., Fundamentals of Mediation Ethics, Tbilisi: Meridiani Publishing, 2024 (in Georgian).
4. UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Mediation and International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, 2018.
5. United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, 2019.
6. Abramson H., New Singapore Convention on cross-border mediated settlements: Key choices. (Chap. 19) in: Titi C. Fach-Gómez K. (Eds.), Mediation in international commercial and investment disputes Oxford University Press, 2019 <https://digitalcommons.tourolaw.edu/scholarlyworks/648> [10.06.2026].
7. Alexander N., International and Comparative Mediation: Legal Perspectives. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, 2009.
8. Alexander N., Chong S., Giorgadze V., The Singapore Convention on Mediation, A Commentary (2nd ed.), Kluwer Law International BV, 2022.
9. Anderson Q. D., Alexander N., Howard A., UNCITRAL and the Enforceability of IMSAs: The Debate Heats up, Part 2, Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy, Kluwer Mediation Blog, 2016.
10. Binder P., International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation in UNCITRAL Model Law Jurisdictions, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, Kluwer Law International BV, 2025.
11. Bungenberg M., Fröhlich M., Giegerich T., Zdraveva N. (Eds.), Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Western Balkans, European Union and its Neighbours in a Globalized World (Vol. 20), Springer, 2025.
12. Chaisse J., Ji X., Shaping the future of transnational tax dispute settlement: The path to mediation, Columbia Journal of Tax Law, 14(1), 2023.
13. Chao A. (Ed.), Zhao Y., Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution in Modern China, Springer, 2022.
14. Chong S., Steffek F., Enforcement of International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation under the Singapore Convention, University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, Paper No. 16/2024, 2024.
15. Chua E., The Singapore Convention on Mediation and the New York Convention on Arbitration: Comparing enforcement mechanisms and drawing lessons for Asia, Asian International Arbitration Journal, 16(2), 2020.
16. Curlewis L., Raubenheimer E., International Recognition and Enforcement of Mediation Agreements, Journal of Private International Law, 45(1), 2024.
17. Esplugues C., Iglesias L., Mediation and Private International Law: Improving Free Circulation of Mediation Agreements Across the EU, Policy Department C: Citizens' Rightsand Constitutional Affairs, Brussels, 2016.
18. Georgia amongst the first signatories of the Singapore Convention on mediation of trade disputes, Caucasus Watch, <https://caucasuswatch.de/news/1900> [10.06.2026].
19. Georgia Ratifies the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, United Nations Information Service Vienna, 2022 <https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2022/unisl324.html> [10.06.2026].
20. Hopt K. J., Steffek D., Mediation Principles and Regulation in Comparative Perspective, Oxford University Press, 2013.
21. Kern C. A., Multinational Rules and Systems of Dispute Resolution in an Era of the Global Economy. In Miki K. (Ed.), Technology, the Global Economy and Other New Challenges for Civil Justice Intersentia Uitgevers N.V., 2021.
22. Meidanis H. P., Enforcement of Mediation Settlement Agreements in the EU and the Need for Reform. Journal of Private International Law, 16(2), 2020.
23. Palao G. (Ed.), The Singapore Convention on Mediation: A Commentary on the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022.
24. Peters N., The Enforcement of Mediation Agreements and Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, Corporate Mediation Journal, In Bungenberg M. Fröhlich M., Giegerich T., Zdraveva N., (Eds.), Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Western Balkans, European Union and its Neighbours in a Globalized World, Vol. 20, Springer, 2019.
25. Sambold A. M., The Singapore Convention on mediation: Why it matters and where the U.S. stands, American Bar Association, November 2025 <https://www.americanbar.org/groups/dispute_resolution/resources/just-resolutions/2025-november/singapore-convention-mediation-why-it-matters-united-states/ [10.06.2026].
26. Sasson M., Public Policy: Is this Catch-All Provision Relevant to the Legitimacy of International Commercial Arbitration? Kluwer Law International, 2022.
27. Silvestri E., The Singapore Convention on Mediated Settlement Agreements: A New String to the Bow of International Mediation? Access to Justice in Eastern Europe, 2019.
28. Singapore Convention on Mediation, Jurisdiction Profiles, Georgia, <https://www.singaporeconvention.org/jurisdictions/georgia?utm_source=chatgpt.com> [10.06.2026].
29. Tan K., The Singapore Mediation Convention vs the New York Convention: Same difference? ILA Reporter, November 2020 <https://ilareporter.org.au/2020/11/the-singapore-mediation-convention-vs-the-new-york-convention-same-difference-kevin-tan/> [10.06.2026].
30. Tsuvina T., Ferz S., The Recognition and Enforcement of Agreements Resulting from Mediation: Austrian and Ukrainian Perspectives. Access to Justice in Eastern Europe, 4(16), 2022.
31. Wen X., Comparative Analysis of the Singapore Convention in Light of the New York and Hague Choice of Court Conventions, In Ali S. (Ed.), Comparative and Transnational Dispute Resolution, Routledge, (Introduction by S. Finder), 2023.
32. Yokomizo D., Mankowski P., in Palao G. (Ed.), The Singapore Convention on Mediation, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022.
33. Zeller B., Trakman L., Mediation and Arbitration: The Process of Enforcement. Uniform Law Review, 24, 2019.
34. Zhao Y., The Singapore Mediation Convention: A Version of the New York Convention for Mediation? Journal of Private International Law, 17(3), 2021.
35. Zhao Y., in Chao A. (Ed.), Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution in Modern China, Springer, 2022.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
