In all kinds of international negotiations the usual model is to rely on formal representatives of countries to meet in a carefully structured and well-planned series of meetings. This involves officials speaking for their country (or organization), not for themselves.

Over the past few decades, efforts have been made to invite the same formal representatives in their “personal” rather than in their “official” role to meet in parallel sessions — outside of formally scheduled meetings — to see if informal problem-solving might help. These meetings (unlike formal sessions which are chaired by one or more of the country designees) can be facilitated by professional mediators. The goals of these meetings are informed dialogue, informal problem-solving, and relationship building. Since no decisions are made and participants are not necessarily “speaking for” their country or organization, the conversations need to remain confidential (with no attribution).

PDP has seen such parallel informal negotiations ease the way for recalcitrant parties to jointly reframe the problems they are addressing and consider new proposals that might have been rejected out of hand earlier.