Breadcrumbs

Implementing legislation

On 2 December 2022, the Uruguay Parliament published Law 20093, approving the Singapore Convention on Mediation (available in Spanish at: https://parlamento.gub.uy/documentosyleyes/leyes/ley/20093).

Procedure for enforcing international mediated settlement agreements

Uruguay has a General Procedure Code (28 Sept 1997) (available in Spanish at: https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text/194501).  The Code sets out general provisions on procedures, and on conciliation.

Other national mediation laws

Law 17296 of 2001 institutionalises the creation of five Mediation Centres by the Supreme Court of Justice (available in Spanish at: https://parlamento.gub.uy/documentosyleyes/leyes/ley/17296).

Law 16995 of 1998 (Article 2) accords legal recognition to mediation, together with judicial and administrative conciliation and arbitration, as conflict resolution mechanisms, and establishes that in any of these processes, the parties must be assisted by a lawyer from beginning to completion, except in matters where the amount does not exceed 20 UR (approximately 620 USD) (available in Spanish at: https://parlamento.gub.uy/documentosyleyes/leyes/ley/16995).

Under Law 17707 of 2003 (Article 11) mediation carried out under the Mediation Centres of the Judiciary are exempt from the requirement of legal assistance (available in Spanish at: https://parlamento.gub.uy/documentosyleyes/leyes/ley/17707).

Law 18566 of 2009 regulates the mediation and negotiation of collective conflicts in labour matters (available in Spanish at: https://parlamento.gub.uy/documentosyleyes/leyes/ley/18566).

Law 17823 of 2004 enshrines mediation as one of the non-custodial socio-educational measures for adolescents in conflict with criminal law (available in Spanish at: https://parlamento.gub.uy/documentosyleyes/leyes/ley/17823).

Further, the Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (27 Nov 1966) (Article 255) states that “No suit in a civil matter may be brought without first showing that settlement has been attempted before a Justice of the Peace, save for those exceptions established by law” (accessible at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b5600.html).

Press releases