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IN THE CORRIDORS II

The lack of early progress in the first reading of the Platform, resulting in a proliferation of informal-informals, has combined with the accreditation issue to raise questions about conference procedures. With the "group of ten" due to report on accreditation to the Bureau Thursday morning, it appears that a review of accreditation procedures, and of the UN"s working relationship with global civil society, may be one of the significant outcomes of the 39th CSW session. The "group" is expected to suggest that it will not be possible to open the procedure to new applicants.

A number of senior delegates have offered explanations for the lack of early progress, including "conference overload" in the UN system and a lack of adequate technical back-up to facilitate early drafting by the Secretariat, a problem also identified at the WSSD. The close proximity of a set of UN conferences has placed practical constraints on some delegations" ability to prepare and co-ordinate positions. At the political level, the close proximity of meetings has encouraged attempts to re-open debates for which the global consensus has been difficult to achieve and remains fragile. Some ambiguous language adopted at WSSD has also encouraged this. The resulting difficulties have been particularly acute for the G-77/China delegations, who have the added difficulty of working, often for the first time, to build consensus on issues related to the advancement of women"s status. One senior delegate has pointed out that the opportunity an international conference presents for a national delegation to develop new positions must be recognized, even if the process proves time consuming. The G-77/China communication difficulties were resolved this week when a new team of translators was hired. With no UN resources available to extend the Tuesday deadline to complete the work of the 39th CSW session, delegates are preparing for weekend and evening sessions to continue work on the draft Platform.