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ENB:10:44 [Next] . [Previous] . [Contents]

MAIN COMMITTEE

After the first Plenary, the Main Committee was convened to commence negotiations on the draft Declaration and Programme of Action. Amb. Juan Somav¡a opened the Main Committee and announced its programme of work. Amb. Shah (India) was appointed to chair a Working Group of the Main Committee to negotiate the new commitment on education. Amb. Koos Richelle (Netherlands) was appointed to chair informal negotiations on Chapters II, III and IV. The Main Committee then began its negotiations of the bracketed text. Delegates agreed early in their deliberations that additional consultative groups would be needed to resolve the more difficult issues. A consultative group chaired by Amb. Richard Butler (Australia) dealt with non-resource issues in the Declaration as well as outstanding rights issues throughout the texts, including human rights and the right to development. A group chaired by Amb. Razali Ismail (Malaysia) dealt with resource issues.