Can Increased Involvement of Business and Industry Help Rescue the Multilateral Climate Regime?

Significant progress in the multilateral negotiations on climate change will only be made if civil society and in particular business and industry stakeholders actively contribute to shaping it. Admitted to the international negotiations through participation in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), business and industry entities continue however to be far more active at the national than at the international level. Their pro-active involvement in new international policy spaces is hence highly warranted. The enhanced participation of the private sector in the multilateral climate regime, however, faces many challenges that will have to be overcome. Lessons on how to achieve an effective involvement may be drawn in particular from the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the EU and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP). A preliminary condition for an effective dialogue with business and industry stakeholders is a transparent process. Moreover, systematic consultations with stakeholders should be held, allowing a regular exchange of information and the effective channelling of the expertise of the private sector into the negotiation process.