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This overview examines the historical significance of international conferences, beginning with the Congress of Vienna in 1814, which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and set a framework for European diplomacy. It explores the establishment of reparations for Germany post-World War I and highlights the increasing number of international meetings today, including UN-related conferences. The complexities of conference procedures and negotiations, the roles of delegations, and the positive and negative implications of these gatherings for global governance are also discussed.
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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”