Taking a Closer Look at the Treaty Secretariat of the UNFCCC – What Role for REDD+ and Loss and Damage?

Firmly rooted in principal-agent, organizational theory and sociological institutionalism, scholars of international public administrations (IPA) have shown that IPAs exert autonomous influence on international policy outputs (Liese/Weinlich 2006). Using social network analysis (Wasserman and Faust 2009) we will shed light on the activities of IPAs in two issue areas negotiated under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Focusing on the interaction patterns of relevant stakeholders for REDD+ and Loss and Damage at COP 19 and 20, we will assess the relative network position of the actors involved with a special focus on the underlying conditions allowing the secretariat to actively exert influence on the two policy issues. The paper will add to the empirical research on the increasing autonomy of environmental regulatory agencies vis-à-vis their principals. Finally, we will discuss the implications for legitimacy of the negotiations under the UNFCC arising out of a strengthened role of IPAs.