The Organization of Global Negotiations

The Organization of Global Negotiations

by Joanna Depledge
Released June 2013
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136552861

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Book description


The basic assumption of this book is that the organization of a negotiation process matters.

The global negotiations on climate change involve over 180 countries and innumerable observers and other participants, addressing enormously complex and economically vital issues with conflicting agendas. For the UN to create an effective and well-supported international regime has required enormous and very skilful organization: factors such as the role of the Chair, the choice of negotiating arenas, the rules for the conduct of business and the approach of negotiating texts are usually taken for granted, and rarely attract attention until something goes wrong.

This book explores how the negotiations were organized to produce the Kyoto Protocol to the Climate Change Convention and the subsequent Bonn Agreements and Marrakesh Accords. The author draws out the lessons and implications for other intricate and far-reaching negotiations, not all of which have succeeded so far, such as the WTO trade negotiations at Seattle and Cancun.

This is essential reading for all participants in and organizers of international negotiations; and for researchers and students of international relations, climate change and environmental studies.

Table of contents

  1. Front Cover
  2. The Organization of Global Negotiations: Constructing the Climate Change Regime
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. List of Figures, Tables and Boxes
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Acronyms and Abbreviations
  9. 1 Introduction
  10. 2 The Organization of Global Negotiations
    1. Introduction
    2. The fundamentals of negotiations
    3. Global intergovernmental negotiations: challenges
    4. The organization of global negotiations
    5. Summary and concluding remarks
  11. 3 The Challenges of the Climate Change Negotiations
    1. Introduction
    2. The climate change problem
    3. The climate change negotiations and the climate change regime
    4. The challenges of the climate change negotiations
    5. The organization of the climate change negotiations
    6. Summary and concluding remarks
  12. 4 Presiding Officers
    1. Introduction
    2. Mandate, functions and appointment
    3. The roles of presiding officers
    4. Skills and qualities
    5. Summary and concluding remarks
  13. 5 Bureaux
    1. Introduction
    2. Composition
    3. Mandate and functions
    4. Informal roles
    5. Skills and qualities
    6. Summary and concluding remarks
  14. 6 The Secretariat
    1. Introduction
    2. Institutional arrangements
    3. Mandate and functions
    4. The secretariat’s two masters
    5. Supplying organizational energy to the negotiations
    6. Summary and concluding remarks
  15. 7 Rules for the Conduct of Business
    1. Introduction
    2. Key rules and informal practices
    3. Functions of rules and informal practices
    4. Procedure as strategy
    5. Putting the rules into practice
    6. Summary and concluding remarks
  16. 8 Decision-making Rules
    1. Introduction
    2. Consensus and its contested meaning
    3. The impact of the consensus imperative
    4. Overcoming the threat of procedural blockage
    5. Summary and concluding remarks
  17. 9 Negotiating Arenas
    1. Introduction
    2. The climate change institutions
    3. Formal open arenas: plenary meetings and variants
    4. Informal arenas: informal groups and informal consultations
    5. Friends groups and shuttle diplomacy
    6. Unofficial negotiations
    7. The deal-making arena
    8. Summary and concluding remarks
  18. 10 Complementary Forums: Workshops, Roundtables and Others
    1. Introduction
    2. Workshops and roundtables
    3. Side events and ad hoc meetings
    4. Summary and concluding remarks
  19. 11 Texts
    1. Introduction
    2. Documentation in the climate change regime
    3. The development of texts in the climate change negotiations
    4. The raw material: miscellaneous documents
    5. Precursor texts
    6. Single negotiating texts
    7. Chair’s texts
    8. The final negotiating texts
    9. Summary and concluding remarks
  20. 12 Time Management
    1. Introduction
    2. Duration
    3. The use of time
    4. Time management in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations
    5. Time management in the post-Kyoto negotiations
    6. Negotiation by exhaustion
    7. Summary and concluding remarks
  21. 13 The Political and the Technical: Ministerial Input
    1. Introduction
    2. The high-level segment
    3. The general debate
    4. Roundtable forums
    5. Direct participation
    6. Summary and concluding remarks
  22. 14 Participation by Non-governmental Organizations
    1. Introduction
    2. NGOs and the climate change regime
    3. Rules for admission
    4. Channels for participation
    5. Side events and exhibits
    6. Unofficial vehicles
    7. Summary and concluding remarks
  23. 15 Conclusions: Twelve Key Insights
  24. Notes
  25. References
  26. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Organization of Global Negotiations
  • Author(s): Joanna Depledge
  • Release date: June 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136552861