The organization of the Kyoto Protocol negotiations: Lessons for global environmental decision-making

Global negotiations on environmental problems raise complex challenges for diplomacy, such as dealing with complexity, uncertainty and equity dilemmas. Such challenges are particularly acute in the case of climate change. This thesis examines negotiations under the climate change regime, which overcame such challenges to reach agreement on the Kyoto Protocol in December 1997. Using the analogy of negotiation as 'theatrical performance', the thesis analyses the organization of the Kyoto Protocol negotiation process and its effectiveness. This is an under-researched topic, despite its importance. Organizational elements are often open to policy manipulation, and can therefore be 'stage-managed' to maximize the chances of a successful negotiation. The thesis examines six organizational elements: the negotiation organizers, namely, the presiding officers, bureau and secretariat; rules for the conduct of business and decision-making; negotiating arenas; participation rules for parties and non-state organizations; arrangements for the input of scientific information; and the use of texts and time as negotiating tools. Little research has yet been conducted on what constitutes an effectively organized negotiation. To advance work in this regard, the thesis presents six effectiveness criteria that could be used to assess the organizational effectiveness of multilateral negotiations. These criteria - efficiency; procedural equity; transparency; information accessibility; promotion of a cooperative approach; and provision of leadership and skill and energy - are applied in the thesis to the case- study of the Kyoto Protocol negotiations. The thesis begins by locating its subject matter within the negotiation and regime literatures, and by exploring the concept of the organization of the negotiation process and its effectiveness. After explaining the background to the Kyoto Protocol negotiations and their main political dynamics, the thesis uses the six effectiveness criteria to consider each of the organizational elements of the Protocol negotiations and their effectiveness. It then assesses how effectively the negotiations were organized as a whole, identifying lessons to be learnt