Business coalitions are becoming indispensable in shaping the future of climate governance. Our new report shows how companies, through strategic collaboration and negotiation, can accelerate ambitious climate policy, even amid geopolitical fragmentation and ESG backlash.
Based on 27 expert interviews and a network analysis of major sustainability coalitions, we identify seven key findings that reveal both the opportunities and challenges for collective business action.
<ol>
<li>🎯Clear positioning on climate objectives can attract supportive members.</li>
<li>🤝Managing internal multi-stakeholder negotiations is crucial, as the member-base strongly influences actions and narratives of coalitions.</li>
<li>🌍Geographical fragmentation of climate policy is testing business coalitions&rsquo; ability to adapt their strategic focus, allocate resources and coordinate multi-stakeholder management.</li>
<li>⚙️Flexible and solution-oriented forms of (ad-hoc) collaboration create opportunities to solve sector-specific (and regional) challenges.&nbsp;</li>
<li>🔄Creating more options for agreement&nbsp; can improve coalitions&rsquo; role as intermediaries for diverse societal actors.&nbsp;</li>
<li>🚀Support in internal negotiations and scaling of innovation enhances coalitions&rsquo; transformative role for members</li>
<li>🛡️Business coalitions are challenged to balance shielding member interests and providing platforms for positive policy engagement&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
If you would like to discuss the findings or explore collaboration opportunities, please reach out to our colleague and project lead, Bj&ouml;rn Knoop (bjoern.knoop@cemune.org).&nbsp;

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Business4Climate (B4C) Report 2025: “How to Move Business for Ambitious Climate Action: The Future Role of Business Coalitions.”

CEMUNE is proud to continue its tradition of supporting UNFCCC COP Presidencies by providing strategic guidance and advisory support to the Brazilian Presidency team for UNFCCC COP30. Our role is to share strategic insights, best practices and proven approaches for hosting a successful and ambitious COP, ensuring that the Presidency is well-prepared to deliver the outcomes needed in Bel&eacute;m.
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These are uncertain times, marked by geopolitical shifts, economic pressures, and escalating climate impacts&mdash;all of which will test the resilience and effectiveness of the multilateral system. Equipping the Presidency team with the tools, insights, and strategies needed to navigate the complexity of the negotiations enables the team to effectively respond to these uncertainties.
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Through this partnership, we are committed to strengthening the Presidency&rsquo;s leadership capacity, allowing them not only to manage the process effectively but also to shape it with vision and ambition. By fostering confidence, coordination, and clarity of purpose, we believe this collaboration can empower the Brazilian team to leave the COP process stronger, more resilient, and better positioned to respond to the interlinked crises the world is facing today.

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2025

CEMUNE is providing the COP30 Leadership Team with Negotiation Support on the Road to Belém

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At COP28 in Dubai, we held our Business &amp; Climate event: &ldquo;Leveraging Business Engagement to Accelerate Climate Action,&rdquo; on December 3rd at Goals House. It gathered high-level representatives from businesses and governments, women and men from the Global North and South, joining forces to achieve enhanced and quicker climate action.
The roundtable discussion was co-moderated by Dr. Kai Monheim and Archie Young, with impactful contributions from Her Highness Sheikha Shamma, President and CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators; H.E. Franz Tattenbach, Environment Minister of Costa Rica; H.E. Norbert Gori&szlig;en, Deputy Special Envoy for International Climate Action of Germany; H.E. Patricia Espinosa, CEO of OnePoint5 and former UNFCCC Executive Secretary; Peter Bakker, CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Mar&iacute;a Mendiluce, CEO of We Mean Business Coalition; Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers; Rich Lesser, CEO of BCG; Bill Anderson, CEO of BAYER; Shawn Maher, EY Global Vice Chair; Arlo Brady, CEO of FREUDS among other relevant participants.&nbsp;
Highlighting the critical role of businesses in tackling climate change and considering business engagement at the annual climate conferences (COPs) has increased, the Centre for Multilateral Negotiations started a research project to explore in detail how we can leverage business better for enhanced climate action.&nbsp;
The first stage of the work &ndash; which was discussed in Dubai during the roundtable &ndash; focused on strengthening engagement and the connective tissue between business and the intergovernmental process at COPs. The next phase of the work in 2024 will broaden how businesses and governments can leverage their mutual positive value beyond the annual COPs and deepen collaboration for implementation.&nbsp;

CEMUNE at COP28

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In November, we held our Endgame Facilitation Workshop for the incoming COP28 President, CEO, and its leadership team in Abu Dhabi; with this, we concluded our comprehensive support throughout the year to the United Arab Emirates Climate Negotiation team.&nbsp;
We brought together numerous international experts from the CEMUNE network to deliver concrete, applicable, and effective advice on multilateral negotiation management for a successful COP28.
This is the 8th COP Presidency CEMUNE has advised in preparation for their role as President of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Supporting the United Arab Emirates COP28 Presidency

In collaboration with the ASEAN German Climate Action Program from GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft f&uuml;r Internationale Zusammenarbeit), in early November, CEMUNE developed a comprehensive, tailor-made, 3-day negotiation training workshop for the ASEAN member states negotiators in Bogor, Indonesia.&nbsp;
Through this, we enhance ASEAN member states capacities and strength as a region with an active role and constructive voice within the UNFCCC multilateral process, as we have done with other previous projects, for instance, the African Group of Negotiators involved in the Montreal Protocol negotiations.&nbsp;
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, comprises ten member states: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia.&nbsp;
Our support to the ASEAN Member States will continue during 2024 on their way to COP29 in Azerbaijan.&nbsp;

Climate Negotiation Training for ASEAN Member States

GIZ ASEAN CLIMATE NEGOTIATION PROGRAMME

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Newsletter 1 / 2024

<h2>Background&nbsp;</h2>
&nbsp;
<hr>
Business has a critical role in tackling climate change &ndash; reducing emissions,&nbsp;adapting and responding to impacts, and directing finance flows to accelerate&nbsp;action. The fact that business engagement at the annual climate conferences&nbsp;(COPs) has increased in both number and sectoral representation brings significant opportunities to drive ambition and action.
 However, as record numbers gather in Dubai for COP28, many are concerned about a growing separation between the corporate and the intergovernmental spheres and the risk of failing to maximise the potential synergies. Therefore, the question arises: How can we leverage business better for enhanced climate action? This is vital: it is poor value for business and, more importantly, for the climate if business only turns up for a pavilion, a panel, and some prosecco. Many business representatives are deeply committed to tackling the climate crisis and are bringing genuine solutions to the table; it is in everyone&rsquo;s interests that these&nbsp;are leveraged to drive progress in the negotiations and on the frontline.
&nbsp;
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<h2>The research project</h2>
&nbsp;
<hr>
The Centre for Multilateral Negotiations has interviewed representatives from&nbsp;businesses, trade bodies, governments, and the media to explore this question&nbsp;in detail. This includes several organisations and brilliant individuals who play a vital role in representing business views to governments and de-mystifying the intergovernmental process. The first stage of the work &ndash; discussed here in Dubai &ndash; focuses on strengthening engagement and the connective tissue between business and the intergovernmental process at COPs. The next phase of the work will broaden how&nbsp;businesses and governments can leverage their mutual positive value beyond the annual COPs and deepen collaboration for implementation.
&nbsp;
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<h2>Core aspects to effective, meaningful business&nbsp;engagement at COPs</h2>
&nbsp;
<hr>
<ol>
<li>Taking the opportunity to listen to those you don&rsquo;t usually meet &ndash; from&nbsp;activists to marginalised communities, you can engage more broadly and&nbsp;more profoundly at COP than in your office block back home;</li>
<li>Being sensitive to the baggage of business engagement &ndash; there is still more&nbsp;to do to build trust and confidence in the intentions of corporates at COP;</li>
<li>Committing to initiatives &ndash; be clear whether it is a signal (&lsquo;firework&rsquo;) or&nbsp;a coherent process with effective follow-through (&lsquo;framework&rsquo;);</li>
<li>Understanding and championing the intergovernmental process,&nbsp;particularly its legitimacy and inclusiveness;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Helping articulate to governments the specific national policies you&nbsp;expect to see and need to deliver on international commitments.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Steps to strengthen the connective tissue between&nbsp;business and the intergovernmental process at COPs</h2>
&nbsp;
<hr>
<ol>
<li>Create more opportunities for formal and informal collaboration,&nbsp;building on effective &lsquo;technical dialogues&rsquo; and &lsquo;world caf&eacute;&rsquo; formats;</li>
<li>Embed a more robust structure for follow through of commitments and&nbsp;initiatives with expectations of progress reports by business to enhance&nbsp;credibility and demonstrate progress;</li>
<li>Encourage and enable more significant private-sector representation from the global south;</li>
<li>Greater transparency to overcome the notion of &lsquo;dark room&rsquo; negotiations&nbsp;between business and government;</li>
<li>Focusing on the unique setting of the COP for business: how it is different&nbsp;from and how it complements other corporate gatherings and climate weeks</li>
</ol>

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LEVERAGING BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT TO ACCELERATE CLIMATE ACTION

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CEMUNE has been working with the UNCCD to train focal points in advanced multilateral negotiation techniques. Working across the globe, from Armenia to Istanbul, Nairobi to Seoul, with 50 different countries represented, the CEMUNE team ensure that trainees have the skill set to successfully navigate negotiation dynamics and leverage like-minded participants for future success.&nbsp;
In the second half of the year, CEMUNE will once again be supporting the UNCCD, training North African and Arab focal points in advanced multilateral negotiation techniques. Many thanks to all those involved, including our hosts, and trainers for making these trainings such a success.&nbsp;

Capacity-Building with UNCCD Focal Points

During April, CEMUNE spent three amazing days in London with the United Kingdom&rsquo;s biodiversity team focusing on skill-building in preparation for the subsidiary body meetings that take place in the second half of the year. The CEMUNE team delivered two tailor-made training sessions. The first was a skill-building session in advanced multilateral negotiation techniques. The second session was an intense one-day workshop on the role of Chairs and best practices for chairing small group sessions. Richard Kinley, former UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary, and Hesiquio Benitez, Mexico, and CBD SBSTTA Chair, joined us during this session to share their wealth of knowledge accumulated from decades of experience.&nbsp;

CEMUNE Supports the UK CBD Negotiators

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Supporting the UNFCCC COP28 Presidency, held by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has kept CEMUNE busy this year. Working with key members of the team, we&rsquo;ve sought to continue our strong track record of advising UNFCCC Presidency teams by providing trainings on process and hot topics as we progress towards COP28, to be held in December 2023. From negotiators to top leadership, online and on-site, CEMUNE&rsquo;s main areas of support have included discussions around finance, the first Global Stocktake, mitigation and adaptation, and key events to leverage ahead of December. The process has been an exciting one, and we thank all those involved for making this support possible.

Joint support for the UAE!

Newsletter 2 / 2023

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Following on from CEMUNE&rsquo;s successful Foundation Workshop with the Egyptian Presidency in May 2022, CEMUNE hosted its annual Endgame Strategy Workshop ahead of COP27. Former COP Presidents, Climate Champions, Civil Society Experts and Negotiators were invited by the Centre to share their insights to help finetune the Egyptian Presidency&rsquo;s strategy for hosting COP27. They provided valuable advice based on their experiences and lessons learned from prior COPs and other processes.&nbsp;
During the workshop, participants reflected on tools and methods available to the Presidency to define and implement their convergence strategies, and consider how to engender trust and ensure transparency. All while committing to being as efficient as possible, allowing for fruitful teamwork and using &ldquo;friends of the Presidency&rdquo; productively. Communication strategies for the endgame and the engagement of non-state actors were also considered.&nbsp;
Watch the video below for our participants&rsquo; insights on ambition and expectations ahead of COP27. &nbsp;

COP27 Presidency workshop in Cairo with the Foreign Minister of Egypt 

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CEMUNE has already begun its support for UNFCCC COP28 Presidency, which is held by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Building on its strong track record of advising UNFCCC COP Presidencies, the Centre began its programme with a training on negotiation basics using the Harvard Concept. We also provided seminars on climate hot topics and climate process. Looking ahead to 2023, key areas of support will include issues around key deliverables for COP28, including the Global Stock Take (GST). &nbsp;Together with the Presidency, we will do our best to ensure that COP28 will have a strong outcome to drive forward progress on one of the most pressing issues of our time. &nbsp;

CEMUNE Support for the UNFCCC COP28 Presidency

On 10th of November 2022, we officially launched the Cemune Global Circle, a group of true friends of multilateralism, at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh. The Circle marks a new era for CEMUNE, uniting governments, international organizations, civil society, businesses, and individuals that join forces to scale CEMUNE's activities for multilateralism in this world under stress. &nbsp;
On this occasion, Dr Kai Monheim, Founder and Managing Partner, CEMUNE, led a high-level roundtable, "In Discussion with Changemakers: The Future of Global Negotiations" at Goals House, focusing on the question if there is a better process to make multilateral negotiations on key global challenges like climate change more inclusive for civil society and business.&nbsp;
We would like to thank all our supporters for making a difference to global cooperation! Interested?&nbsp;
Check out more on the <a href="https://cemune.org/getinvolved/cemuneglobalcircle">Cemune Global Circle and its Founding Members!</a>
&nbsp;

CEMUNE Global Circle Launch event at COP27 Goals House

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It is with great honour that we welcome Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan as a new member of our advisory board!&nbsp;
 At COP27, we also sat down with Her Highness, as head of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), and signed an MoU to further cooperation in the region, developing local and regional insights, and strategic relationships, as well as delivering tailored industry workshops and driving policy-process exercises in the #GCC.&nbsp;

Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan from UICCA joins as our new Advisory Board Member 

Cemune Workshop: Presidency

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Newsletter No. 1 / 2023

CEMUNE recently embarked on an exciting journey to Istanbul, Turkey, where we spent two incredible days with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) focal points of French and English-speaking African countries. The focus of this trip was to facilitate advanced multilateral negotiation training, which was designed to equip participants with the necessary tools to engage in successful negotiations as parties to the UNCCD.
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At the heart of the training were several critical aspects of negotiation that participants were taken through. One such area was negotiation dynamics. Negotiations can be tricky, and there are various factors that come into play, such as power dynamics, cultural differences, and even personality traits. Participants were taught how to navigate these complex dynamics, which can make all the difference in successful negotiations.
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Another critical area of the training was leveraging like-minded stakeholders for great success. Participants were shown how to identify potential allies and how to work with them to achieve their goals. This approach is a key strategy in multilateral negotiations, where parties come from different backgrounds and have different interests.
&nbsp;
The success of this training would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the participants and trainers. CEMUNE would like to extend its congratulations and gratitude to all who made this trip a success. Special thanks go to the incredible trainers, Dr. Kai Monheim, Antonius von Borcke, and H&eacute;l&eacute;na Cerovic, who poured their expertise and energy into making this training a success.
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Overall, the training in Istanbul was a huge success, and CEMUNE is thrilled to have been a part of it. The skills learned by the participants will be invaluable in their work as parties to the UNCCD, and we look forward to hearing about their future successes. We remain committed to providing high-quality training and support to our partners, and we can't wait to see what the future holds.
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CEMUNE recently embarked on an exciting journey to Istanbul, Turkey, where we spent two incredible days with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) focal points of French and English-speaking African countries. The focus of this trip was to facilitate advanced multilateral negotiation training, which was designed to equip participants with the necessary tools to engage in successful negotiations as parties to the UNCCD.

Empowering UNCCD Parties: CEMUNE Hosts Advanced Negotiation Training in Istanbul

CEMUNE facilitated a half-day workshop with the Government of Egypt on the foundational steps needed to facilitate a successful negotiation at the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP27). Held in Bonn, Germany, on 3 June 2022, key members of the Egyptian team gathered to hear about the power of the negotiation process and how this can lay the groundwork for a good outcome. The workshop was warmly welcomed by our Egyptian partners and experts present.

CEMUNE facilitated a half-day workshop with the Government of Egypt on the foundational steps needed to facilitate a successful negotiation at the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP27). Held in Bonn, Germany, on 3 June 2022, key members of the Egyptian team gathered to hear about the power of the negotiation process and how this can lay the groundwork for a good outcome. The workshop was warmly welcomed by our Egyptian partners and experts present.

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June 2022

CEMUNE provided the COP27 Presidency negotiation process management support on the road to Sharm el-Sheikh

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December 2021  |   10  min read

Newsletter No. 2 / 2021

<a href="https://unfccc-videocloud.azurewebsites.net/videos/negotiating-paris-agreement-insider-stories">https://unfccc-videocloud.azurewebsites.net/videos/negotiating-paris-agreement-insider-stories</a>&nbsp;

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Panel on our book "Negotiating the Paris Agreement: The Insider Stories"

Over the course of 11 days, delegates navigated their way through a packed agenda addressing financing for adaptation, loss and damage, mitigation, and technology and capacity building.

In November 2021, 39,509 people from around the globe descended on Glasgow, Scotland to attend the UN Climate Negotiations. Over the course of 11 days, delegates navigated their way through a packed agenda addressing financing for adaptation, loss and damage, mitigation, and technology and capacity building. All of this was guided by the UK Presidency team, and COP26 President Alok Sharma, with the aim of achieving a successful outcome.
 In light of this, CEMUNE organised a 1.5-day workshop from 14-15 October 2021, on negotiation management to support the incoming UK Presidency at COP26. The workshop convened experts and officials from previous COP Presidencies, including Denmark, France, Germany, Peru, and South Africa. Officials from the UNFCCC Secretariat and the World Trade Organization were also invited. They shared valuable insights and advice for the UK team, who included COP 26 President Alok Sharma, and lead negotiator, Archie Young.
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Over the course of the 2 days, participants addressed issues in a series of roundtables based on the 7 dimensions for consideration when trying to ensure successful of negotiation management, as defined by CEMUNE. Roundtables under consideration included:
&nbsp;
&bull; Trust, legitimacy and efficiency &bull; Engagement of non-party stakeholders &bull; Teamwork and governance &bull; Convergence strategies and tools for the COP endgame.
 Expert speakers made opening remarks at the start of each session, followed by a discussion among experts who drew on their own expertise to provide advice on how the incoming Presidency could address the challenges faced by every COP Presidency. They also addressed specific challenges related to COP26, such as how to navigate non-party stakeholders when they hold protests or deal with setting the agenda. Informal discussions between experts and the participants from the UK carved out specific options with possible next steps. These sessions were moderated by the Centre for Multilateral Negotiations.
&nbsp;
The success of COP26 as well as the positive feedback from workshop participants has highlighted how the workshop provides an excellent opportunity for incoming presidencies to sit down and craft concrete facilitation options for their COP Presidency in concert with the experts present in the session.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>THOUGHTS AND RESPONSES TO THE WORKSHOP</h2>

&nbsp;
CEMUNE organised a 1.5-day workshop from 14-15 October 2021, on negotiation management to support the incoming UK Presidency at COP26. The workshop convened experts and officials from previous COP Presidencies, including Denmark, France, Germany, Peru, and South Africa. Officials from the UNFCCC Secretariat and the World Trade Organization were also invited. They shared valuable insights and advice for the UK team, who included COP 26 President Alok Sharma, and lead negotiator, Archie Young.

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Advisory Workshop for COP26 Presidency Team

&ldquo;It is not only to achieve consensus, it is to achieve an ambitious consensus.&ldquo;
&nbsp;
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These are the words of Laurent Fabius, President of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) President, when he was interviewed by CEMUNE&rsquo;s Kai Monheim and Hayley Walker for the &ldquo;Summits Unplugged&rdquo; series on how to successfully run multilateral negotiations.
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Ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Fabius explained the process that led to the successful adoption of the Paris Agreement. Congruent with CEMUNE&rsquo;s Seven Dimensions for Effective Negotiation Management, he goes on to stress the importance of listening and trust for ensuring progress and acceptance of an ambitious outcome such as the one agreed to in Paris. He also underscores the roles of the different actors, including non-party stakeholders within the multilateral negotiation process, to drive the ambition of the agreement.
&nbsp;
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Ahead of the Glasgow summit, Fabius argues that while the COVID-19 pandemic &ldquo;will go away,&rdquo; the climate crisis is a long-term problem that needs to be addressed with the same swiftness and decisiveness that was marshalled by world leaders to address &ldquo;the virus crisis.&rdquo; COP26, he notes, faces many additional challenges in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, including lack of financing; and lack of sufficiently ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs). What it will come down to, Fabius suggests, is ensuring a focus on implementing the Agreement.
&nbsp;
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The Paris Agreement is a legally binding agreement adopted by parties at COP21 in Paris in 2015. The Agreement facilitates a pathway for countries, both developed and developing, to cut their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by allowing for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are submitted once every five years; each new submission is expected to be more ambitious than the last. The Agreement commits countries to substantially reduce GHG emissions to limit global temperature increases to well below 2&deg;C above preindustrial levels, while making every effort to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5&deg;C above pre-industrial levels.
&nbsp;
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&nbsp;
COP26 in Glasgow, hosted by the UK, will take place from 31 October to 12 November 2021. It is expected to focus on implementing the Paris Agreement, by finishing negotiations on how to operationalize the &ldquo;Paris Rulebook&rdquo;, and by raising the ambition of governments NDCs to keep 1.5&deg; alive.
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Delegates are more likely to trust a facilitator that they perceive as being capable in the role. Since the role is primarily procedural, a mastery of the rules of procedure and a good understanding of the multilateral process are key. 

Laurent Fabius talks to CEMUNE about COP26 in exclusive interview

Amid the chaos and disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26) is the first major multilateral environmental agreement to meet in person. Being held in November 2021, the COP has several challenging tasks to address for it to be a success.
&nbsp;
The main priorities for COP 26 include:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>completing the Paris Rulebook, which means resolving Article 6 thereby finalizing the mechanics of how parties can cooperate in implementing their NDCs, using market and non-market mechanisms;</li>
<li>increasing financial support, in particular the US$ 100 billion in climate finance annually for developing countries;</li>
<li>ratcheting up ambition through, among others, strengthening NDCs, and planning pathways to net-zero carbon emissions in 2050;</li>
<li>address the establishment of a Global Goal on Adaptation under the Paris Agreement &nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Through the launch of &ldquo;Negotiating the Paris Agreement: The Insider Stories&rdquo;, our podcast &ldquo;Summits Unplugged&rdquo; and other capacity building activities, we have provided the key stakeholders with the skills to make sure the climate negotiations are a success and &ldquo;we can keep 1.5 alive&rdquo;.

November 2021

Next Supported Event: COP26

We had the pleasure of working with the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, which, being established in 1754, counts as the oldest diplomatic learning institution still active in the world. CEMUNE temporarily joined their Women Leaders Libya Programme, an online format which seeks to strengthen female leadership in the public service sector of Libya.
In the company of 20 outstandingly engaged female public officials from the Libyan government, ministries, NGOs, and universities, we spent two days giving an advanced online training, discussing and practicing Harvard-Concept&reg; tools and theories. Whether the maximisation of value through cooperation or the BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) method, not much was left untouched upon.
Naturally, a particular light was shone onto the aspect of gender in negotiation, and despite the at times challenging internet connection, both the participants and our trainers learned a great deal from one another. We are looking forward to the next cooperation with the DA Vienna!

We had the pleasure of working with the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, which, being established in 1754, counts as the oldest diplomatic learning institution still active in the world. CEMUNE temporarily joined their Women Leaders Libya Programme, an online format which seeks to strengthen female leadership in the public service sector of Libya.

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We had the pleasure of working with the Diplomatic Academy Vienna. CEMUNE temporarily joined their Women Leaders Libya Programme, an online format which seeks to strengthen female leadership in the public service sector of Libya.

Online Training Programme for Strengthening Female Leadership in the Public Service

At the end of May, CEMUNE cooperated with the Slovenian Ministry for Spatial Planning and the Environment to deliver a two-day advanced negotiation workshop for the Slovenian Climate Change Team. The training had a twofold relevance: firstly considering Slovenia&rsquo;s upcoming EU council presidency and, secondly, the recurring challenges that come with filling such a position without the option of drawing on former presidencies&rsquo; learnings. We are excited to also have supported the Slovenian Climate Delegation with sight to the postponed COP26, in Glasgow, UK.
Together with the 15 participants, we spent two days online discussing and practicing key elements of our negotiation circle method such as trust-building in negotiations and extracting lessons from success factors of previous climate negotiations. We wish the Slovenian Climate Change Team all the best for their future negotiations!

CEMUNE cooperated with the Slovenian Ministry for Spatial Planning and the Environment to deliver a two-day advanced negotiation workshop for the Slovenian Climate Change Team.

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CEMUNE cooperated with the Slovenian Ministry for Spatial Planning and the Environment to deliver a two-day advanced negotiation workshop for the Slovenian Climate Change Team.

Workshop on negotiations with the Slovenian Climate Change Team

The Centre trained French speaking delegates from African countries involved in climate negotiations in multilateral settings.  

The Centre trained French speaking delegates from African countries involved in climate negotiations in multilateral settings. This training specifically followed the 31st Meeting of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol, which was organized by the GIZ, as a technical partner of the Green Cooling Initiative. The participants deepened their knowledge in advanced negotiation strategies by using simulations and foundations of the Harvard concept.&nbsp;

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The Centre trained French speaking delegates from African countries involved in climate negotiations in multilateral settings.  

Advanced multilateral negotiation course following the 31st Meeting of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol

We were happy to collaborate for the second time with the Danish Ministry of Food and Environment

In a two-day negotiation workshop with government officials, we worked on improving the participants negotiation skills and expertise, as well as strategies used in complex multilateral settings by using interactive exercises. Our approach included simulations such as negotiations on oil pricing and example cases, like the Harboco case, taken from the Harvard Program on Negotiation.

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Multilateral negotiation course with the Danish Ministry of Food and Environment

<h2>Book Description</h2>
<hr>
&nbsp;
The European Union has long played a leadership role in the global response to climate change, including the development and dissemination of climate-friendly technologies such as renewable energy. EU diplomacy has been a vital contributor to the development of international cooperation on climate change through the agreement of the United Nations Climate Convention, its Kyoto Protocol and, most recently, the Paris Agreement. In addition, the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States means that the EU contribution to climate diplomacy will become more important still, both in filling the leadership gap (together with other major economies) and in responding to any sabotage by the Trump administration.
&nbsp;
This book will extend knowledge of the EU as a key actor in climate diplomacy by bringing together leading practitioners and researchers in this field to take stock of the EU&rsquo;s current role and emerging issues. Contributions will be grouped into three strands: 1) the interplay between EU climate diplomacy and internal EU politics; 2) how the EU&rsquo;s legal order is a factor that determines, enables and constrains its climate diplomacy; and 3) the EU&rsquo;s contribution to diplomacy concerning climate technology both under the Climate Convention and more broadly. Collectively, these contributions will chart the EU&rsquo;s role at a critical time of transition and uncertainty in the international response to climate change.
&nbsp;
EU Climate Diplomacy: Politics, Law and Negotiations will be of great relevance to students, scholars and policymakers with an interest in international climate politics and policy, transnational environmental law and politics and EU studies more generally.
&nbsp;
Follow this link for More <a href="https://www.routledge.com/EU-Climate-Diplomacy-Politics-Law-and-Negotiations/Minas-Ntousas/p/book/9780367430238" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EU Climate Diplomacy Politics, Law and Negotiations</a>

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Dr. Hayley Walker and Dr. Katja Biedenkopf | in ‘The Historical Evolution of EU Climate Leadership and Four Scenarios for its Future’

EU Climate Diplomacy Politics, Law and Negotiations

CEMUNE organised a two-day advisory workshop to support the UK&rsquo;s presidency of UNFCCC COP26. Using our knowledge about best practices in terms of negotiation management, drawn from the COP21 in Paris 2015 and COP16 in Canc&uacute;n, and focussing on preparatory dimensions of the facilitation process, like the importance of preparing the ground, building trust and teamwork, we were able to prepare the British host delegation with proven and applicable advice in the run-up for COP26.

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The Centre organised a two-day advisory workshop to support the UK’s presidency of UNFCCC COP26 in 2019

Negotiation management workshop preparing for COP26

The Centre facilitated a two-day workshop with the government of Kazakhstan and the WTO on strategic negotiation management in preparation of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, in June 2019.

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The Centre facilitated a two-day workshop with the government of Kazakhstan and the WTO on strategic negotiation management in preparation of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12).

Negotiation management workshop preparing for MC12

We are excited to introduce a series of policy briefs in which the Centre&rsquo;s network of academics and practitioners will explain and explore core themes related to multilateral negotiations. Expect additional entries in the future. The brief discusses the importance of procedural justice in multilateral negotiations, drawing on evidence from UNFCCC negotiations.
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Read it <a href="https://api.cemune.org/storage/uploads/2021/11/02/Procedural-Justice-in-Climate-Negotiations_Outcomes-and-Implementation_12_uid_6181442938dd9.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here!</a>

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Lynn Wagner and Daniel Druckman

Procedural Justice in Climate Negotiations Outcomes and Implementation

CEMUNE delivered a one-day training on multilateral negotiation management to the Mercator Foundation. Our approach focused on interactive exercises designed to improve the participants&rsquo; negotiation skills and convey strategies used in complex multilateral settings.

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 The Centre for Multilateral Negotiations delivered a one-day training on multilateral negotiation management to the Mercator Foundation. 

Course on multilateral negotiations for the Mercator Foundation in Brussels

CEMUNE delivered a two-day workshop for African Delegates to the Montreal Protocol, in preparation for the 30th Meeting of the Parties in Quito, Ecuador. Our training was sponsored by GIZ (Gesellschaft f&uuml;r Internationale Zusammenarbeit), acting as a technical partner for the Green Cooling Initiative.

CEMUNE delivered a two-day workshop for African Delegates to the Montreal Protocol, in preparation for the 30th Meeting of the Parties in Quito, Ecuador. Our training was sponsored by GIZ (Gesellschaft f&uuml;r Internationale Zusammenarbeit), acting as a technical partner for the Green Cooling Initiative.

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 The Centre delivered a two-day workshop for African Delegates to the Montreal Protocol, in preparation for the 30th Meeting of the Parties.

Navigating complex negotiation dynamics of the Montreal Protocol

The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change was a much-needed breakthrough for multilateralism after more than twenty years of fruitless negotiations. Hayley Walker explains how the French Presidency played an important role in securing a successful agreement by adding the &lsquo;extra ingredients&rsquo; of empowerment and recognition to the negotiation process.
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This post is the first entry in a series about the COP climate negotiations on the Global Justice Blog.
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<h1>&nbsp; PARIS: A BREAKTHROUGH FOR MULTILATERALISM &nbsp;</h1>
The Paris Agreement on climate change was a much-needed breakthrough for multilateralism after more than twenty years of fruitless negotiations. On the 12th December 2015 the international community adopted by consensus an agreement with global participation, overcoming years of wrangling between developed and developing countries over their respective responsibilities and obligations. The Agreement&rsquo;s non-binding emissions reduction targets alone will not be enough to avert the oncoming catastrophe of global warming, but the legally-binding procedures, including the &ldquo;racheting-up&rdquo; mechanism, change the direction of travel and put us on a more hopeful path by ensuring that countries&rsquo; future targets become progressively more ambitious. There is a broad acceptance that the Paris Agreement represents one of the most just and ambitious outcomes possible given the political and institutional background in which it was forged, including the need to bypass a hostile US Congress and the consensus rule of climate negotiations which means that any deal passed must meet the approval of all 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with their radically divergent interests and positions.
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The Paris Agreement represents one of the most ambitious outcomes possible given the political and institutional background in which it was forged.
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There are many factors without which the Paris Agreement would not have been possible, including the diplomatic understanding between the US and China, who together released a Presidential statement announcing ambitious domestic climate action after many years of adversarial politics, and unforeseen economic circumstances that saw the price of solar energy fall by 70% from 2009 to 2015. Another factor was the French Presidency, whose skillful diplomacy led Parties through the complex, burgeoning and politically charged negotiations to a successful conclusion. By setting up an open and inclusive negotiation process they avoided the upsets that had plagued previous rounds, most notably the 2009 round of negotiations in Copenhagen, which ended in acrimony. A draft agreement produced by the Danish Presidency and a handful of developed countries was leaked, prompting outrage from developing countries and a complete breakdown in trust. A backroom deal hammered out at the eleventh hour between the US, China and other emerging economies was rejected and a long-awaited opportunity to start tackling climate change was lost.
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<h1>THE EXTRA INGREDIENTS: EMPOWERMENT&hellip; &nbsp;</h1>
Many lessons have been learnt since Copenhagen, and the French Presidency was able to reap the rewards of this learning process. A recent study by Kai Monheim1 illustrates how the Mexican Presidency in 2010 significantly altered the management practices. They ensured greater transparency in the negotiation process and created greater organizational cohesion both within the Presidency and between the Presidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat. The French Presidency built upon these improvements and put them to good use in Paris. However an &rsquo;extra ingredient&rsquo; of the French Presidency was its skill in managing not just the process, but the people involved in the negotiations.
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Empowerment refers to the ability of Parties to define their own problems and come to their own solutions.
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Two concepts shed light on the success of the Paris Agreement in securing a just and ambitious deal and the role that the French Presidency played in this: empowerment and recognition.2 Empowerment refers not to power redistribution, but to self-determination, i.e. the ability of Parties to define their own problems and come to their own solutions. In the context of multilateral negotiations, empowerment can be aligned with inclusive, bottom-up, party-driven processes. These dynamics are extremely important for Parties in climate change negotiations, particularly since the fallout from Copenhagen. The period from Copenhagen to Paris was marked by a major shift in approach, from the top-down thinking of the Kyoto Protocol, which set binding but inflexible emissions reduction targets for the handful of developed countries that ratified the Protocol and covering only 12% of global emissions, to the bottom-up thinking of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), which invite each and every country to submit their own climate action pledges in line with their national circumstances. The concept of INDCs was launched in Warsaw in 2013 to great success: by the opening of the Paris summit 183 countries had already submitted their climate pledges, covering 95% of the world&rsquo;s emissions. The French Presidency grasped the importance of this approach and ensured that the drafting of the Paris Agreement was an inclusive, party-driven process. All Parties were invited to submit text for consideration and key negotiations were led not by the Presidency, but by ministers representing developed and developing countries. Their ministers acted as &ldquo;facilitators&rdquo;, working with other Parties to find acceptable compromises on text.
<h1>&nbsp; &hellip;AND RECOGNITION &nbsp;</h1>
Recognition refers to the need of participants to feel acknowledged and that their perspective has been understood in order to move from a position of self-absorption to a position of receptiveness and cooperation. In Copenhagen Parties did not feel that their views had been taken into consideration or even listened to by the Presidency; as such they refused to move from their public positions. By contrast, the French Presidency undertook extensive consultations with all Parties for over a year before the summit, engaging in an unparalleled level of travel diplomacy, criss-crossing the globe to hear Parties&rsquo; concerns and understand the interests behind their positions.
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Recognition refers to the need of participants to feel acknowledged and that their perspective has been understood.
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During the COP, the Presidency ran an open-door system of consultations called &ldquo;confessionals&rdquo;, whereby any Party at any time could speak in private with a member of the Presidency to air their concerns and discuss problematic issues. Negotiators from developed and developing countries alike agreed that they felt their views had been listened to and taken into account by the Presidency. Additionally, Parties at COP21 were encouraged to listen to each other and learn about other countries&rsquo; perspectives in an informal setting through a series of ministerial meetings organized by the French Presidency in the lead-up to the summit. The most important outputs of these meetings were the higher levels of understanding and improved relationships between ministers.
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Negotiators from developed and developing countries alike agreed that they felt their views had been listened to and taken into account by the Presidency.
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Although negotiators and ministers are agents of their governments representing national interests, they are also people. The desire to have a seat at the table and a say over outcomes, and the desire to have your views listened to and acknowledged are intuitively fundamental to any decision-making process, be it custody over children in a divorce settlement, or international effort-sharing in the fight to reduce GHG emissions. Through managing an inclusive, party-driven process and ensuring that all Parties&rsquo; views were heard and taken into consideration, the French Presidency was able to produce an Agreement that respected the red lines of all whilst also giving each Party something that they could take home to their constituency as a victory &ndash; an Agreement in which all Parties felt both recognized, and empowered.
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1 K. Monheim, How effective negotiation management promotes multilateral cooperation: the power of process in climate, trade and biosafety negotiations (Routledge 2015).
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2 R.A. Bush and J.P. Folger, The promise of mediation: the transformative approach to conflict (Jossey-Bass, 2005)
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Follow Original post <a href="https://www.globus.uio.no/resources/global-justice-blog/walker-paris-agreement-dec-2016.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

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Dr. Hayley Walker  | 10 Minutes

Why did Paris Succeed?

<h2>Book Description</h2>
<hr>
Multilateral negotiations on worldwide challenges have grown in importance with rising global interdependence. Yet, they have recently proven slow to address these challenges successfully. This book discusses the questions which have arisen from the highly varying results of recent multilateral attempts to reach cooperation on some of the critical global challenges of our times. These include the long-awaited UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, which ended without official agreement in 2009; Canc&uacute;n one year later, attaining at least moderate tangible results; the first salient trade negotiations after the creation of the WTO, which broke down in Seattle in 1999 and were only successfully launched in 2001 in Qatar as the Doha Development Agenda; and the biosafety negotiations to address the international handling of Living Modified Organisms, which first collapsed in 1999, before they reached the Cartagena Protocol in 2000. Using in-depth empirical analysis, the book examines the determinants of success or failure in efforts to form regimes and manage the process of multilateral negotiations.
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The book draws on data from 62 interviews with organizers and chief climate and trade negotiators to discover what has driven delegations in their final decision on agreement, finding that with negotiation management, organisers hold a powerful tool in their hands to influence multilateral negotiations.
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This comprehensive negotiation framework, its comparison across regimes and the rich and first-hand empirical material from decision-makers make this invaluable reading for students and scholars of politics, international relations, global environmental governance, climate change and international trade, as well as organizers and delegates of multilateral negotiations.
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This research has been awarded the German Mediation Scholarship Prize for 2014 by the Center for Mediation in Cologne.
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<h2>Table of Contents</h2>
<hr>
<ol>
<li>The Argument: How Negotiation Management Alters Multilateral Cooperation &nbsp;</li>
<li>The Fall and Rise of Climate Negotiations: from Copenhagen to Canc&uacute;n &nbsp;</li>
<li>Negotiation Management During the Danish and Mexican Presidencies &nbsp;</li>
<li>Explanations of Climate Outcomes Beyond Negotiation Management</li>
<li>Trade Negotiations: the Bedevilled Launch of the Doha Development Agenda</li>
<li>Biosafety Negotiations: the Rocky Path to the Cartagena Protocol &nbsp;</li>
<li>Conclusion</li>
</ol>
<h2>Author</h2>
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Dr. Kai Monheim researches on negotiations and international cooperation. He is Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He holds a Harvard Kennedy School Master in Public Policy and attained qualification as a lawyer in Germany.

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Dr. Kai Monheim

How Effective Management Promotes Multilateral Cooperation

<h2>Abstract</h2>
<hr>
Management of a multilateral negotiation has frequently played a crucial role in developing global regimes but is often ignored in International Relations theory. The long-awaited un climate summit in Copenhagen, for example, broke down in 2009 but negotiations reached agreement one year later in Canc&uacute;n. This article argues that power and interests remained largely constant between Copenhagen and Canc&uacute;n, and that significantly altered negotiation management by the host government and the un explains much of the difference. An analytical framework is presented to address whether and how the management of a multilateral negotiation by the organizers increases or decreases the probability of agreement. The empirical focus is on the Danish and Mexican Presidencies of climate negotiations, with extensive evidence from participant observation and 55 interviews with senior negotiators, high-level un officials, and lead organizers. The argument adds to the scholarship on regime development by complementing structural with process analysis.
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Follow this link for More <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/iner/21/3/article-p345_1.xml?ebody=Abstract%2FExcerpt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The &lsquo;Power of Process:&rsquo; How Negotiation Management Influences Multilateral Cooperation</a>

Dr. Kai Monheim | in International Negotiation, 2016:21(3), pp. 345-380

The ‘Power of Process:’ How Negotiation Management Influences Multilateral Cooperation

<h2>Abstract</h2>
<hr>
Economy-wide targets for emissions reductions will be an indispensable element of a 2015 agreement, but reaching agreement on ambitious targets is notoriously difficult. The agreement needs to include a mechanism that can facilitate and incentivize increased ambition over time. Such a mechanism should focus on high-potential policy options that contribute to the same general goal: climate change mitigation.
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Building on ideas by H&ouml;hne et al. (2014b), Barrett (2005) and Sebenius (1984), this brief proposes that the parties to the UNFCCC should unbundle the thorny issue of economy-wide targets and establish a process where they can identify and, on a voluntary basis, implement policy options. This could help parties increase ambition over time.
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Follow this link for <a href="https://www.cigionline.org/publications/policy-options-could-increase-ambition-2015-climate-agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More</a>

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Dr. Henrik Jepsen | Fixing Climate Governance Series 2015(1)

Policy Options Could Increase Ambition in the 2015 Climate Agreement

Dr. Kai Monheim, Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute has published a new book which addresses the question of whether multilateral negotiations can foster worldwide cooperation on global challenges. The world climate summit of Copenhagen 2009 and the succeeding conference of Canc&uacute;n 2010 reveal that the success of these summits does not only depend on the interest of countries. In addition, the negotiation management by the host country government and the UN plays a central role, as confidential interviews with over 60 chief climate negotiators, host country facilitators and UN officials prove. The book sheds light on the decisive influence of summit diplomacy and the negotiators of participating countries &ndash; and thereby on the reaching of global agreements. Negotiations on world trade and biosafety confirm these results.
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Learn more at <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/news/grantham-fellow-publishes-new-book-about-managing-negotiations-on-key-global-challenges-such-as-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grantham fellow publishes new book about managing negotiations on key global challenges such as climate change</a>

October 2014

New Book About Managing Negotiations on Key Global Challenges such as Climate Change

<h2>Abstract</h2>
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This book considers the environmental policies that the EU employs outside its borders. Using a systematic and coherent approach to cover a range of EU activities, environmental issues, and geographical areas, it charts the EU&rsquo;s attempts to shape environmental governance beyond its borders. Key questions addressed include: What environmental norms, rules and policies does the EU seek to promote outside its territory? What types of activities does the EU engage in to pursue these objectives? How successful is the EU in achieving its external environmental policy objectives? What factors explain the degree to which the EU attains its goals? The book will be of interest to students and academics as well as practitioners in governments (both inside and outside of the EU), the EU institutions, think tanks, and research institutes.
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Follow this link for More <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-60931-7#aboutBook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union External Environmental Policy</a>

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