Ted Feifer of the Professional Training Program conducted this fourth workshop on advanced negotiating skills in multilateral diplomacy for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. There were 17 participants in the workshop: 10 members of the OSCE Secretariat, 6 members of national delegations to the OSCE, and a member of the European Commission delegation.

The objectives of the workshop were to increase participants' effectiveness through the use of analytical and problem solving techniques; strengthen negotiating and diplomatic skills used in multilateral diplomacy; and understand and use the multilateral process to better achieve objectives. The workshop also gave OSCE Secretariat staff and members of national delegations to the OSCE the opportunity to work with and better understand each other's perspectives.

This workshop had two distinguishing features: its focus on multilateral diplomacy, and on addressing more complex challenges requiring the use of more than basic skills. Presentations were tailored to the multilateral context, such as the culture of multilateral diplomacy as practiced at the OSCE, as well as communication and negotiations in the multilateral context. Likewise, exercises involved the application of skills in real multilateral situations, such as problem solving in the 1999 Horn of Africa conflict in the Organization of African Unity, and negotiations on actual issues addressed in the OSCE Permanent Council. Participants received constant feedback during and after exercises to keep them attuned to their performance and ways to make themselves more effective.