Singapore’s annual Convention Week – the fifth of its kind – has opened, with Law Minister K Shanmugam SC hailing the event’s contribution to “dialogue and innovation in dispute resolution”.

Singapore’s co-partners, UNCITRAL (the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law), also explored innovation at a conference hosted by the UNCITRAL Academy.

Delivering a keynote address, Shanmugam set out Singapore’s place in Separating Disruptions from Distractions in an Evolving World, the theme of the week, noting global developments such as wars in Europe and the Middle East and their economic and political impacts. 

Discerning disruptions from distractions was critical to seizing opportunities and staying relevant, he said, in a “more uncertain period” for international trade, which in turn posed a “much more challenging outlook for businesses and lawyers”.

Praising multilateralism, which he said was “good for everyone”, Shanmugam added that Singapore Convention Week (SCW) was one of Singapore’s contributions to fostering opportunities for stakeholders to discuss challenges common to all. 

UNCITRAL’s secretary, Anna Joubin-Bret, also stressed the importance of harnessing innovation to build a resilient and effective dispute resolution framework, delivering a pre-recorded address.

Singaporean ministers were prominent at various events, with senior minister Indranee Rajah SC sharing her views with delegates in a fireside chat. Edwin Tong SC, Second Minister for Law, and Murali Pillai SC, Minister of State for Law, also hosted a networking event. Nearly 2,500 participants from around 90 countries are attending the SCW. 

Speakers also referenced the applications and challenges of generative artificial intelligence (AI), as the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) launched a new AI tool to streamline mediations by automating the presentation of critical facts, ranging from a chronology of events, outlining individuals’ roles and providing a table of typical positions and differences between the parties.

The SIMC also heralded its work in cryptocurrency cases, having mediated eight crypto-related cases since 2022 and setting up a dedicated working group focused on crypto asset disputes.  

SIMC chairman George Lim SC said the past 10 years had been transformative for SIMC and broader mediation practice, calling mediation “the preferred path to resolution” in resolving disputes while preserving relationships between parties, which was crucial to business sustainability. 

“As awareness grows, we have seen interest picking up in sectors which traditionally do not turn to mediation to resolve disputes, like crypto assets and energy,” he said. 

The SIMC reportedly resolved a billion-dollar dispute between US and South Korean energy companies, previously the subject of five separate ICC arbitrations, as it celebrated its 10th anniversary, having mediated more than 430 cases worth nearly $18bn.

“The growth in mediation means that the SIMC has to harness new technologies like AI to help us be more efficient and to support our mediators,” said Lim. “We are also exploring new international collaborations to address the specific needs of today’s dispute resolution landscape. We are not merely adapting to change but shaping the dispute resolution landscape.”

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), meanwhile, unveiled a new online arbitration case management system, designed with Opus 2, a cloud-based platform that simplifies case management from filing to the final award. The new system, named the SIAC Gateway, offers advanced features such as electronic filing and payment, secure document storage and real-time case management.

The SIAC Gateway is “a platform that embodies SIAC’s commitment to excellence and innovation in arbitration”, said Gloria Lim, CEO at SIAC, calling it a “significant step forward in modernising the arbitration process, providing our users with a secure, accessible and efficient tool to manage their cases”.

The SCW supports the Singapore Convention on Mediation, which opened for signatures in August 2019 and strengthened the international enforcement of mediated settlements. So far 57 countries have signed the convention, including Mauritius, and 14 have ratified it, including Japan, which acceded to it last year. The UK signed the convention last year.