Open or closed meetings? Explaining nonstate actor involvement in the international climate change negotiations

Naghmeh Nasiritousi,Björn-Ola Linnér

doi:10.1007/s10784-014-9237-6

Abstract

When do states allow nonstate actors (NSAs) to observe negotiations at intergovernmental meetings? Previous studies have identified the need for states to close negotiations when the issues under discussion are sensitive. This paper argues that sensitivity alone cannot adequately explain the dynamic of closing down negotiations to observers. Questions that have received little attention in the literature include which issues are considered sensitive and how the decision is made to move the negotiations behind closed doors. This paper examines the practices of NSA involvement in climate diplomacy from three analytical perspectives: functional efficiency, political dynamics, and historical institutionalism. Based on interviews and UNFCCC documents, this paper suggests that to understand the issue of openness in negotiations, institutional factors and the politics of NSA involvement need to be better scrutinized. The paper shows that each perspective has particular advantages when analyzing different dimensions of the negotiations, with implications of how we understand the role of NSAs in global environmental governance.

Highlights

Nonstate actors (NSAs)1 are a significant feature of the landscape of international diplomacy
This paper examines the practices of nonstate actors (NSAs) involvement in climate diplomacy from three analytical perspectives: functional efficiency, political dynamics, and historical institutionalism
The proliferation of NSA involvement in intergovernmental organizations has changed the face of international cooperation, as NSAs have gained widespread privileges to participate in previously closed settings

Summary

Introduction

Nonstate actors (NSAs) are a significant feature of the landscape of international diplomacy. NSAs are granted access to most major intergovernmental organizations and increasingly participate in international treaty-making processes (Steffek and Nanz 2008; Tallberg and Jonsson 2010; Willetts 2000). The importance of NSAs in global governance discourse is manifested through a growing emphasis on their roles in the academic literature and policy documents (Okereke et al 2009; Pattberg and Stripple 2008; Willetts 2000). To understand the role of NSAs, we need to analyze the ways in which they are involved in governance. This article contributes to the analysis of NSAs by examining the practices of involving or excluding these actors from intergovernmental meetings in the realm of climate diplomacy

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