22 June 2015: The Co-Facilitators of the Third Drafting Session for the outcome document of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3) announced on 22 June 2015 that the session would be suspended for three days, to allow negotiations to continue on issues of “great sensitivity” at the political level.

FfD 3 Co-Facilitator George Talbot, Permanent Representative of Guyana, informed delegates in a plenary that convened at 9:17 pm, on 22 June, that although a new draft was almost finalized, taking on board various red lines to find a place of convergence, it was in the best interest of the process to allow time for the outstanding political issues to be addressed. He proposed convening another plenary session on Thursday evening, 25 June 2015.

South Africa, for the G-77/China, urged the Co-Facilitators to make sure that the rest of the draft is clear. Although “we are almost there,” he said, politics cannot always be anticipated and are best left to the politicians, who should be allowed to resolve the remaining issues to ensure that the FfD 3 package contributes to the success of the entire post-2015 development process.

Particularly difficult issues addressed during the week, which had been largely discussed in informal-informal settings, included tax cooperation, peoples and countries under foreign occupation, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR).

FfD 3 Co-Facilitator Geir Pedersen, Permanent Representative of Norway, thanked everyone for their contributions during the session, which had extended three days longer than planned. Pedersen expressed hope that, at the political level, “they can help us move the last mile” and that an historic outcome in Addis could be prepared for in New York. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [IISD RS Sources]