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CONFERENCES AND SPECIAL MISSIONS. HISTORY. Congress of Vienna 1814 End of Napoleonic Wars Paris 1918 End of First World War, defeat of Germany and Austria Netherlands neutral in WWI, so Indonesia unaffected Major decisions about future of Europe Germany gets savage war reparation debts
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HISTORY • Congress of Vienna 1814 • End of Napoleonic Wars • Paris 1918 • End of First World War, defeat of Germany and Austria • Netherlands neutral in WWI, so Indonesia unaffected • Major decisions about future of Europe • Germany gets savage war reparation debts • Germany’s colonies distributed among victors
MODERN TIMES • Huge number of international conferences now • Over 10,000 pa. • About 30 UN-related conferences per month • In the larger or more active foreign ministries, some officials are conference specialists • NGOs more prominent • UN Climate Change Conference Warsaw: • More conferences in Asia too, eg East Asia Summit
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES • Why hold a conference? • Conference types • Information • Aid (pledging) • Negotiation v deliberative • Expert/ technical • Periodic • General Assembly PBB; ASEAN, APEC
NEGOTIATIONS Involve: • Compromise • Information • International Norms • Norms and law • Normative texts • Conventions
CONFERENCE PROCEDURE AND NEGOTIATIONS • Conference Mandate • Agenda • Work program • Accreditation • Select Chair, Rapporteur, and committee heads • General debate • Committee work Procedure • General debate – formal • Committees less formal • Informal discussion [“corridor discussion”] • “Formal -informal” discussion (contact group) • Chairman’s initiative
DELEGATION TASKS • Read the brief • Understand and carry out nation’s objectives • Divide up the work • Negotiations • Seek allies, like-minded • Example – for Indonesia , usually ASEAN • Everyone checks with USA if possible
PAK X’S PROPOSAL • Devise draft resolution • Accords with national aims • Accords with conference mandate • Pass copies to allies • First consultation with ASEAN • Maybe also with US, Japan, China • May go to committee • Next to plenary session • Approved by conference • How? Consensus, strong vote, weak vote? • Negotiation We can be happy to win, as long as we are content not to triumph. D Vare
CONCLUSIONS • More and more international conferences • Positive – strengthens a rules-based order • Can benefit smaller and poorer nations • Deters larger more powerful nations from arbitrary action, but not always • Negative – costs, “too much talking”, too much bureaucracy; ultimate results are...what?
SPECIAL MISSIONS • Convention on Special Missions 1969 • Many types • Usually conducted by large organisations or nations • US, UN • In crises • Or long-running global issues • UN – Sec-Gen - More than 30 Special or Special Advisers , especially for Africa • USA – Ambassadors-at-Large as of 2012 • Freedom of Religion • Women’s Issues • War Crimes • HIV/ Aids • Many US special envoys for Middle East over the years • Eg look up “Kissinger shuttle”