Available to run a workshop on how to lobby at intergovernmental meetings

• Is your organization struggling to make its voice heard in intergovernmental meetings?
• Do you need to understand how the UN decision-making process works?
• Do you need to know how governments think?
• Do you need a strategy on how and when to engage at the UN?
• Do you want to develop a multi-stakeholder partnership?
• Do you know how to draft text amendments or generate an effectively written submission to an international meeting?

If you are new to lobbying at the United Nations or just want to gain a better insight into how to influence the outcome of a UN Conference, Commission or High-Level Political Forum then having me run a workshop is for your organization will help save time and a lot of money.

Attending an intergovernmental meeting entails significant costs in terms of time and money, and it is critical that resources are spent effectively. Many organizations and individuals attend such meetings with an idea of the desired outcome, but with little understanding of how to best achieve that outcome. As a result, non-governmental actors often end up spending more time talking to each other than attempting to influence decision-makers

If you want me to run a workshop for your organization then email Felix at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

The consultancy for your staff will be run by Felix Dodds and Friends.

It  can cover any of the following elements relating to Sustainable Development Goals, UNEP, the UNFCCC:

• Why should you attend a UN meeting?
• Helping you develop your strategy
• Case studies of how stakeholders have influenced global agreements
• Understanding of the different government negotiating groups, how they come to decisions and how you might influence them
• The evolving Stakeholder Involvement at the UN and how to position your organization to get the best out of its engagement
• How does a government think and work
• How to develop a UN General Assembly Resolution
• Examples of successful multi-stakeholder partnerships
• How to put together a successful multi-stakeholder partnership
• How to be effective in getting your message across
• Tools you might consider using such as mapping influence, scenario building, and SWOT analyses
• Attendance and Participation Negotiations – Some Tips
• Structuring Papers and Statements
• Brackets, Terms, Jargon, and Acronyms
• UN Media and Social media 

Felix attended my first intergovernmental meeting over 25 years ago and has written or edited 20 books on the subject of sustainable development. Two of these books related to lobbying around Multilateral Environmental Agreements. He has run over 100 training sessions on How to Lobby and this workshop will enable YOU to learn the ‘tricks of the trade’

Materials you will be able to take away:

• A training manual which will enable you to run similar workshops within your organization
• A media list for journalists that are based at the UN

If your organization would like a workshop just for staff then contact Felix direct at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Some comments about Felix from Member States and Others

 "I couldn’t dare to admit to which extent Felix has influenced international sustainable development policy".

Jorge Laguna Celis, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN

Felix is a genius for convincing the most skeptical legislator of the eminent reasonableness of the sustainable development case"

Rt Hon John Gummer MP former Secretary of State for the Environment

"Felix has been a true global leader, a unique person with the capacity to define global issues, based on an in-depth understanding of the concerns and priorities of stakeholders at all levels. Such a breath of vision is rare, and we feel privileged to have been able to work so closely with Felix throughout the Rio+20 process."

Paula Caballero Gomez, Director, Directorate of Economic, Social and Environmental of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Columbia

“Felix has been a passionate campaigner for people’s involvement in the central challenges of our time – how to balance our consumption of natural resources with the earth’s capacity, at the same time as addressing global inequality and poverty. He has enormously enriched the global intellectual debate on sustainability issues, and has been a “thought leader” of his age.”

Crispian Olver, Former South African Director General Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

“It takes a special kind of stamina to survive international processes and negotiations. It takes a very special person to make sense of it all and to help others do the same. And it takes a very, very special person to have fun at the same time. Meet Felix Dodds - a very, very special person.”

Rachel Kyte, Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank

 "Felix is an extremely knowledgeable writer, expert, author, blogger provocateur on all things to do with sustainable development. I learned a huge amount from Felix on my contribution to the Negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals books."

Ambassador David Donoghue

"There is hardly anyone who knows the international sustainable development scene better than Felix Dodds. A lot of the progress that has been achieved over the past twenty years could not have been achieved without his engagement and input."

Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency

"Felix has the great ability to look beyond the obvious, piercing foresight to identify the challenges of the future and above all the courage of conviction to suggest solutions that question conventional wisdom. "

Navid Hanif, Director, Strategic Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

"There is hardly anyone who knows the international sustainable development scene better than Felix Dodds. A lot of progress that has been achieved over the past 20 years could not have been achieved without his engagement and input and his ability to bring together key actors, civil society, governments and international organization for the sake of our environment."

Alexander Juras, Chief Major Groups, and Stakeholders UNEP

"Rumor has it that there's more consensus on Felix's achievements than on the reality of human-induced climate change."

Dirk-Jan Verdonk, WSPA Programme Manager

'Felix Dodds is the Milo Minderbender of the Stakeholder world'

Alex Kirby BBC Environment Correspondent