From 1 to 5 February 2026, IOMed Secretary-General Prof. Teresa Cheng visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh International Disputes Week (RIDW).
On 4 February, Prof. Cheng spoke on the panel themed “Building Trust Across Cultures” during the 5th International Conference and Exhibition of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA), the main event of RIDW 2026. In her remarks, Prof. Cheng shared IOMed’s perspective on how mediation may help bridge cultural differences and preserve trust.
On 3 February, Prof. Cheng served as panelist, together with Prof. Marike Paulsson, Secretary General for the Bahrain Council for International Dispute Resolution (BCDR), and Ms. Anna Joubin-Bret, Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), at an RIDW event organized by the BCDR. Prof. Cheng shared her views on the importance of amicable settlement of disputes, and the panelists agreed on the need to strengthen capacity building for both mediators and parties to disputes.
Attending RIDW is part of Prof. Cheng’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE from 1 to 7 February. During the week, she engaged extensively with government officials, international bodies, businesses, academics and law professionals in the region to raise visibility of IOMed and explore potential collaboration. For more information on the trip, please see press releases on Meeting with Saudi Vice Foreign Minister and Meetings with Businesses in the Region.
RIDW Panel on “Building Trust Across Cultures”: IOMed Secretary-General Prof. Teresa Cheng (center), Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration Dr. Hab. Marcin Czepelak (2nd from right), Co-Founder and Chair of OMNIA Strategy Ms. Cherie Blair (2nd from left), Founder of Transparency International Prof. Peter Eigen (1st from right), and UNCITRAL Senior Legal Officer Mr. Neale Bergman (moderator, 1st from left).
IOMed Secretary-General Prof. Teresa Cheng attended BCDR panel on 3 February.