12 June 2014: The co-facilitators of informal consultations on the Third Conference on Financing for Development (FfD), Geir Pedersen of Norway and George Talbot of Guyana, have issued an agreed draft resolution on modalities for the conference. The 4 June 2014 version of the draft text was agreed following a series of informal consultations concluding on 5 June. The draft resolution will be submitted for the consideration of the UN General Assembly.

It was agreed that the Third Conference on FfD will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 13-16 July 2015, at the highest possible political level. By the draft resolution, the conference will result in an intergovernmentally negotiated and agreed outcome, and in a report containing summaries of the plenary meetings and other deliberations of the conference. The draft resolution reiterates the scope of the conference “as in its resolution 68/204.”

Other provisions were agreed as follows.

The reports of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) and of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the synthesis report of the UN Secretary-General as mandated by UNGA resolution 68/6 of 25 September 2013, will be used as inputs to the preparation of the conference. The draft resolution also invites the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to contribute to the preparatory process.

The UNGA President will appoint two co-facilitators for direct intergovernmental consultations on all issues related to the conference. The preparatory process will include informal sessions with balanced geographical participation of experts and institutions, on relevant thematic areas, and informal interactive hearings with representatives of civil society and the business sector, during September 2014-March 2015. These will result in summaries which may serve as additional inputs to the preparation of the conference.

The first draft of the outcome document will be presented by February 2015. Informal consultations and drafting sessions will take place for three days in January 2015, for five days in April 2015, and for five days in June 2015.

The conference and its preparatory process will be open to participation by all UN Member States, or States members of specialized agencies and observers in the UNGA, in accordance with arrangements utilized in previous international Conferences on Financing for Development. NGOs and business sector entities are also invited to attend. [Draft Resolution] [IISD RS Sources]