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Part II: Negotiating Skills
11. Tips and Tricks for the Lonely Diplomat
Introduction /
Memorize and keep with you /
Making sense of the reading material /
Preparing for the actual negotiations /
Getting your bearings /
Drafting /
Negotiating /
Optimizing participation /
Monitor the progress of others /
Focus /
From sustenance to diplomatic encounters /
11.11 From sustenance to diplomatic encounters
It is an illusion to think that the world of diplomats is a glamorous world of chit-chat, delicacies and champagne. The reality is that it is a very hard world of long and tiring hours, hunger pangs and sleepless nights (something very few of your colleagues back home will realize). You need a number of coping strategies to deal with the stress.
Food and drink: Most negotiating sites have very limited and expensive food and drinks available, long queues and inconvenient locations. Prepare in advance. Going hungry to save time and resources does not support the concentration process. Carry a water bottle.
Social invitations: If you happen to hold a key position in the negotiations, other delegations may invite you for a meal out to reach consensus. Only go if you have the time and are prepared with your aspiration and reserve positions. Otherwise, the invitations will cut into vital preparation time. Don't fool yourself that the other Party is not extremely well prepared and can afford to take out time for coalition building.
Formal invitations and elections: It is an honour to be invited to stand for elections for the formal positions in the negotiations. Generally such an honour is limited to those diplomats who have language, scientific, management and negotiating skills. If you do stand, do not forget that you then are no longer representing your country; that it is more than unlikely that you will be able to defend straight-forwardly the position of your region. Be conscious of the consequences for your country and region before making yourself available for such a position and accepting.
However, being invited as co-chair or being invited to play a role in an informal group gives you considerable influence on the process. So it is worth taking the position if you feel confident enough about your understanding of the process and what your country, region and the G-77 hopes to accomplish from the negotiations. There are some financial resources available to support officers elected from LDCs.
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