The Project on Negotiation for Agriculture at FAO

A successful negotiation rests on the will of both parties to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement. Besides intuition and sometimes efficiency, such a positive results requires understanding of essential tools and know-how to conclude a negotiation, be it business, diplomatic or political affairs or family: listening, trust, creativity, respect and self-assertion. This approach towards negotiation has evolved privileging control in relationships, rather than power or forceful relationships to convince the negotiating partner, thus leading to working and defining the negotiation process and structure to conclude durable negotiations thereby satisfying both parties' interests.

Origin of the Project

• Belief that in a negotiation both content and method matter
• Experience of actual negotiations along with developing countries
• Belief that principled Negotiation is first about people then organization and rules ultimately about substance [See Background]

Motivations for the Project

• Address requests of developing countries, identifying specific needs related to negotiation preparation and implementation
• Capitalize on partners' experience
• Disseminate knowledge and know how
• Develop and provide adequate capacity development material (simulations, case studies)
• Disseminate knowledge and know how : develop group capacities based on own experience and experience sharing through the organization of workshops to disseminate material and exchange knowledge and experience [see workshop calendar].

Affiliation

• The Programme on Negotiation (1974) and the executive courses at the John F Kennedy School of Government (2003) of Harvard University
• Among others, books by: Roger Fisher, William Ury, Michael D Watkins, William I. Zartman and Howard Raiffa [see bibliography]

The project has been developed within the Agricultural Policy Support Service of the Policy Assistance Division of FAO. For more information, please contact Jean Balié through e-mail at: negociatrix@fao.org