3rd Drafting Session of the Outcome Document of the
3rd International Conference on Financing for Development

Highlights for Tuesday, 7 July 2015

The closing plenary of the 3rd Drafting Session of the Outcome Document of the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) finally took place on Tuesday afternoon, 7 July 2015, at UN Headquarters in New York. Since the plenary was suspended on Monday, 22 June, Member States had engaged in round-the-clock consultations, including under the leadership of the President of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa. However, Member States were still unable to achieve consensus on the text that is supposed to be adopted at FfD3 in Addis Ababa, which begins on Monday, 13 July.

Co-Facilitator George Talbot, Permanent Representative of Guyana, opened the meeting at 2:35 pm and presented the latest version of the draft outcome document, noting that the text before delegations was proposed for further consideration at the conference itself. He expressed hope that delegates can reach the compromises that are necessary to assure success in Addis. The issues that remain open, he said, include common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), the relationship between FFD3 and the post-2015 development agenda, questions relating to tax, and other issues. He concluded that he hoped that the conference will adopt an outcome in Addis that “we will all be proud of.”

Co-Facilitator Geir Pedersen, Permanent Representative of Norway, thanked everyone, looked forward to “continuing the good work” in Addis, and expressed hope that “we can conclude quickly in Addis.”

South Africa, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, as well as the European Union, the US, Japan, Switzerland, and Ethiopia, all spoke and stressed the importance of achieving consensus in Addis for the future development agenda and to set the stage for ambitious outcomes at the Post-2015 Summit in September and the Paris Climate Change Conference in December.

Co-Facilitator Talbot said in closing that he was disappointed that the document couldn’t be agreed today, but hoped that this process would be a source of inspiration and engender collective resolve and determination for a new era for development. He adjourned the meeting at 3:05 pm.

Highlights for Monday, 22 June 2015

Plenary reconvened at 9:17 pm on Monday, 22 June at the third drafting session of the outcome document of the Third International Conference Financing for Development (FfD3). Co-Facilitator Talbot announced that although a new draft was almost finalized, taking on board various redlines to find a place of convergence, there were a couple of issues of great sensitivity on which consultations were ongoing at the political level, and it was in the best interest of the process to give them time.

South Africa, for the G-77/China, thanked the Co-Facilitators for their efforts and patience. Expressing his trust in their efforts, he urged them to make sure that the rest of the draft is clear. Although noting “we are almost there,” he said politics is best left to the politicians, who should be allowed to resolve the remaining issues to ensure that the FfD3 package contributes to the success of the entire post-2015 development process.

Talbot thanked him for his trust and confidence, saying this situation was without precedent in their experience, and needed to be approached with due care, patience and maturity. Encouraging interested delegations to continue to engage, he proposed that plenary would reconvene at 6:00 pm on Thursday, 25 June.

Co-Facilitator Pedersen thanked everyone for their contributions. He expressed hope that at the political level, “they can help us move the last mile” and that a historic outcome in Addis can be prepared for in New York. The plenary ended at 9:34 pm.