Who’s Who at COP18: Chairs

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Every round of the UN climate change negotiations, this time COP18, comes with a fresh batch of facilitators elected to serve as chairs for the different negotiating streams. Most have experience within the UN system and specifically with the negotiating track that they are facilitating.

Chairs are responsible for the timely development of the decision texts to be decided upon. The scope of their influence is often overlooked, but an understanding of them may shed light on potential outcomes.

Here is The Verb’s overview of who’s who when it comes to the negotiation tracks.

The COP President: His Excellency Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah (Qatar) 

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Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar and former head of Qatar Petroleum and Qatari Minister for Energy, Abdullah Al-Attiyah has been charged with the diplomatic oversight for the negotiations. Representing the host country, he will serve as President of COP18.

With responsibilities for setting the agenda and direction of negotiations at the COP, he has already attracted many questions about his ability to lead a process that will deliver suitable outcomes given his background with the fossil fuel industry.

The AWG-LCA Chair: Aysar Tayeb (Saudi Arabia)

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Having served as the head negotiator for Saudi Arabia, Aysar Tayeb has been given the responsibility of overseeing the closure of negotiations in the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA) in Doha. Having previously served as a strong voice protecting the interests of Saudi Arabia, observers will be sensitive to any perceived stalling tactics during his time as the AWG-LCA Chair.

Mr Tayeb has caused some controversy already with many countries, including the US, Australia and Japan claiming his provisional AWG-LCA decision text does not reflect previous progress made in Durban and earlier COPs. Tayeb will need to use his diplomatic skills to full effect to ensure the AWG-LCA can wrap up appropriately in Doha.

The AWG-KP Chair: Madeleine Rose Diouf Sarr (Senegal)

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Responsibility for guiding the negotiations around the Kyoto Protocol’s survival and transition into a second commitment period rests with Madeleine Rose Diouf Sarr of Senegal. Working within the Senegalese Government, Diouf Sarr is the head of the Senegalese Division for Studies of Environmental Impacts and the program officer for the Division of Impact Assessment.

This is her first year as Chair of the AWG-KP, having served as vice chair at COP17 in Durban. Her previous experience will be an asset and provide comfort to observers anxious for a strong future for the Kyoto Protocol to emerge from Doha.

The ADP Chair: Harald Dovland (Norway) and Jayant Moreshwar Mauskar (India)

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Harald Dovland and Jayant Moreshwar Mauskar share responsibilities when it comes to nurturing the new Ad-Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform (ADP).

Harald Dovland is well versed in the world of climate negotiations, formally leading the Norwegian team, as well as having previously chaired two other streams; the SBSTA and AWG-KP streams.

Jayant Moreshwar Mauskar brings an eclectic mix of experiences having previously worked in business as director of various energy companies (covering both fossil fuel and renewable sectors) as well as Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board. This will be Mauskar’s first chair position.

This mix of an old head and a fresh face will suit the ADP stream well, as it will need strong guidance as it ventures into the uncharted waters of a new global treaty for the first time in Doha.

The SBI Chair: Tomasz Chruszczow (Poland)

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Tomasz Chruszczow, serving as the Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), is a minister’s councillor for climate negotiations at the Polish Department of Sustainable Development. Chruszczow previously served as the head negotiator for Poland, and headed the European Union negotiating team in Durban.

Having previously served as a representative of the country seen as the greatest enemy to progress on climate change, the SBI Chair role will be a much different experience for the Polish diplomat, where constructive guidance will be all that’s tolerated by negotiators and observers.

The SBSTA Chair: Richard Muyungi (Tanzania)

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Richard Muyungi, Assistant Director of Environment working under the Tanzanian Vice President, will chair the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), after having served as a co-chair in Durban. He has a reputation for being an outspoken advocate for the group of Least Developed Countries and an expert in the field of environmental protection and management, in addition to being a skilled negotiator. This blend of experiences should see the SBSTA negotiating stream work constructively under Muyungi.

By Michael Mazengarb, photos by the UNFCCC.