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This article has two objectives. First, it seeks to explain the political success of COP21. Here, political success is defined as delivering on the mandated objectives of the negotiation round and doing so in such a way that exceeds political expectations. Second, after highlighting the interplay between various causal drivers of multilateral negotiation, it zooms in on a single piece of the explanatory puzzle—delegates’ trust in the French presidency—and presents key findings. This research finds that presidencies should not only consider principles of procedural legitimacy (such as transparency and inclusiveness) that ensure fair participation for all states, but also the everyday effects of the negotiation process on the individual delegates representing these states. Specifically, delegates trust the presidency when they feel their views have been listened to sincerely and respectfully. Trust is lost when delegates are taken by surprise or when the presidency pushes too hard for progress.