How to Influence the COP President's Team
COP30 day 27 of 30: The Chief Advisor, Thematic Leads, and Liaisons who actually control the President's pen (and how to reach them)
Welcome to day 27 of your 30-Day Series!
In this series, we’re building from LCIPP mechanics through Indigenous participation frameworks to COP negotiating tactics. By day 30, you’ll understand how Indigenous Peoples move from values to operative text at the world’s largest climate negotiations. Today we’re talking about the “Presidency Team”, the real power you need to influence in Week 2.
In Week 2, all eyes are on the COP Presidency. You will see them on stage, and you will see them in high-level meetings. It is tempting to spend all your energy trying to get “a word with the President”.
This is a mistake. The President is one person, and they are the most protected, scheduled, and inaccessible person at the entire conference.
The “Presidency” is not a person, it is a team. It is a group of senior advisors, diplomats, and technical experts from the host country. These are the people who run the President’s strategy, write their talking points, and control their pen. These are the people you need to meet.
Who Is in the “Inner Circle”?
Every Presidency team is different, but they all have the same key roles. You must identify these people on Day 1.
The Chief Advisor / Head of Team: This is the President’s right hand. They are the chief strategist and often have more power than the President, who is a politician.
The Thematic Leads: The team will have experts in charge of key topics like “Adaptation,” “Finance,” or “Mitigation.” These leads are the ones who actually draft the text for the “cover decision” or other presidential proposals.
The Liaison Team: The Presidency appoints liaisons to different groups. There may be a liaison for the SB Chairs, a liaison for civil society, and a liaison for Indigenous Peoples. This person is your direct line into the President’s office.
The Ministerial Co-Facilitators: As we discussed, the President appoints “ministerial pairs” to solve tough issues. These Ministers and their teams become a temporary, but critical, part of the inner circle.
Your Goal is to Influence the President’s Briefing
This is the key: You do not need to speak to the President. You need to get your one-page summary into the briefing binder that the President reads before their next meeting.
When you meet with the Presidency’s “Thematic Lead” for your issue, you are not just talking to an expert. You are talking to the person who will be in the room with the President at 3 AM, helping them find the exact “bridging language” to get a deal. Your job is to give them that language, so that when the President asks for a solution, your text is the one they are given.
The 3 Common Traps
Working with the President’s team is a high-level political game, here are 3 key traps:
The “Diplomatic Language” Trap: The team is trained to be polite. They will listen to you and thank you for your input” This does not mean they agree with you or will use your text.
The “Liaison” Trap: The person assigned as your “liaison” may just be there to “manage” you, not to champion your issue. You must still build relationships with the thematic leads who have real power over the text.
The “False Rumor” Trap: In the final days, rumors fly. “The Presidency is preparing a secret text!”. Your job is to go directly to your contact on the Presidency team and ask them what is true.
Before You Go
Identify the President’s team. Get to know your liaison, but build your real relationships with the thematic leads. Give them solutions, not just problems. Give them text, not just ideas. Make it easy for them to use your work, and you will see your words show up in the President’s final proposal.
The Presidency team is the political “brain” of the COP. But who is the neutral “hard drive” that makes the whole thing run?
Tomorrow, I will explain how you can use the UNFCCC Secratariat.
P.S. When you want to influence a big decision, do you talk to the leader or to their most trusted advisor?
P.P.S.: 🚀 Read the entire series here.