Negotiating in a Multilateral World - The potential and challenges of more inclusive negotiations

Explore our past event at the commons, where we delved into how Geneva celebrated a centenary of multilateralism since the establishment of the League of Nations, and the United Nations marked its 75th anniversary amid the global impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The session focused on the intricacies of negotiation, the role of negotiators in multilateralism, and the potential for fostering more inclusive negotiations. Mr. Jerome Bellion-Jourdan, actively collaborating to explore the potential for a new initiative on global negotiations, was accompanied by Ambassador Yvette Stevens and Mr. Victor do Prado in engaging with participants to discuss issues such as finding a collaborative approach to an issue, overcoming deadlocks, and addressing the real or perceived asymmetry of power. In the context of largely State-driven multilateral negotiations, the session also explored the role of other stakeholders and how technology is and will be changing the way we negotiate. Against the backdrop of calls for a more inclusive multilateralism, the session delved into the potential and challenges of experimenting with new formats of negotiations. Participants were also invited to anonymously contribute to a survey, serving as a test for crowdsourcing and negotiating possible Guiding Principles for Negotiators.

Participating in this session:

Speakers

Mr. Jerome BELLION-JOURDAN, Former negotiator for the European Union, currently Senior Fellow in Residence at the Global Governance Centre, Graduate Institute in Geneva 
Ambassador Yvette STEVENS, Former Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations Office at Geneva and to the World Trade Organization
Mr. Victor do PRADO, Director, Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division (World Trade Organization)

Moderator

Natalie ALEXANDER, Knowledge & Learning Commons, UN Library & Archives Geneva.