But it can, both by its scale and its example, help give momentum to decisions in these wider forums and to shape a consensus.
Sir Jeremy, the chairman of the committee, said the purpose of the reports was to give a "stimulant and catalyst" for shaping a global consensus.
The Sentences, whose orthodoxy was established by the Lateran council of 1215, became the standard theological textbook in the medieval West and the subject of many commentaries; it thus helped to shape a nuanced consensus there too, from which disputes and disputations were not absent.
If the Gehry-led group helps shape a sturdy new consensus about remaking the river as a civic amenity, Garcetti's gamble will have been worth it.
Some early critics said he was too democratic and tolerant of dissent.Although Mr Greenspan's approach remains low key, he now dominates monetary policy decisions, invariably shaping the consensus towards an outcome he prefers.
As the culmination of this effort, in 1918 he led a group of financiers, industrialists, and corporate lawyers in establishing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, which soon became the country's most influential forum for shaping public consensus for an expansive foreign policy.
Indeed, the Arizona meeting could be a signal that Mr. McCain is willing to play a major role in shaping bipartisan consensus in the new Senate.
Many other Americans also failed to see it until newspaper and television analyses shaped their consensus that a serious presidential slip had occurred.
And there is trust created partly in those long days and nights spent shaping consensus.
First, the UK has been influential in shaping consensus at EU level – on aid and trade for example – and can justly point to its role in the EU as an opportunity to amplify influence.
