---
title: "The Role of the Chair in Multilateral Talks | Model Diplomat"
description: "A skilled chair can make or break multilateral negotiations, steering agendas, managing competing blocs, and brokering the compromises that produce agreement."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/multilateral-negotiation-role-of-the-chair"
---

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The Role of the Chair

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# The Role of the Chair

How a skilled chair can make or break multilateral negotiations.

## The Chair's Toolkit

The chair (or president) of a multilateral negotiation wields enormous influence through procedural powers that appear neutral but are deeply strategic. These include: setting the agenda (controlling what is discussed and when), managing the speakers list (determining who speaks and for how long), calling for consensus (judging when the room is ready), drafting compromise texts, and creating informal consultation groups where real deals happen.

A skilled chair reads the room, identifies landing zones before parties themselves see them, and uses process to guide substance. The COP21 chair (Laurent Fabius) is widely credited with engineering the Paris Agreement through masterful procedural management — including the famous 'shall/should' fix on the final night that saved US participation.

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