The Organization of Global Negotiations

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

The global negotiations on climate change involve over 180 countriesand innumerable observers and other participants, addressing enormouslycomplex and economically vital issues with conflicting agendas. For theUN to create an effective and well-supported international regime hasrequired enormous and very skilful organization: factors such as therole of the Chair, the choice of negotiating arenas, the rules for theconduct of business and the approach of negotiating texts are usuallytaken for granted, and rarely attract attention until something goeswrong.

This book explores how the negotiations were organized to producethe Kyoto Protocol to the Climate Change Convention and the subsequentBonn Agreements and Marrakesh Accords. The author draws out the lessonsand implications for other intricate and far-reaching negotiations, notall of which have succeeded so far, such as the WTO trade negotiationsat Seattle and Cancun.

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