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IN THE CORRIDORS

During the course of the day, there was often more activity in the corridors and the small conference rooms than there was in Chefren Hall. While the Secretariat staff were trying to compile, photocopy and distribute the amendments to the various chapters, delegates were running from room to room trying to agree on consensus language for the remaining controversial issues in the text. In one room, discussions on family reunification (paragraph 10.12) finally concluded during the early evening, only to find that the adoption of the "compromise" text was postponed by the Main Committee. Consultations also continued on reproductive and sexual rights and reproductive and sexual health in Chapter VII; the chapeau to Chapter II (principles); paragraph 5.5 (family, marriage and "other unions"); paragraph 13.15 (estimated costs for the implementation of the Programme of Action); and paragraph 14.3(f) (basic human rights), which is also linked to the principles. Consultations also began on some of the outstanding issues in the Preamble, which were aired in the Main Committee. As time ran out and consensus was still not in hand, many delegates realized that their one free day in Cairo may have disappeared.