2 June 2014: The co-facilitators of the informal consultations on the Third Conference on Financing for Development (FfD), Geir Pedersen of Norway and George Talbot of Guyana, have issued a revised version of the draft of the resolution on the modalities for the conference, incorporating the feedback they received during the previous sessions. In the eighth meeting of the informal consultations, on 2 June 2014, in New York, US, delegations discussed the draft text, which addresses the conference outcome, scope, date and organization.

On the date and the organization of the preparatory process, the co-facilitators proposed two options. They proposed the conference be held in 2015, with the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) continuing the direct intergovernmental consultations on all issues related to the Conference and its preparatory process. Alternatively, they proposed the conference be held in 2016 and suggested establishing a Preparatory Committee consisting of a Bureau composed of two members of each regional group with Ethiopia, the host country, serving as an ex-officio member of the Bureau. Member States did not reach agreement on these options.

Member States also discussed the proposal to have a four-day conference. Some delegates stressed the need to avoid placing any burden on the UN’s budget and called for a three-day conference. Others said only a five-day conference would allow in-depth discussions on the complex issues that need to be addressed.

During discussion on the final outcome of the conference, some delegates noted that, given the fact that the outcome would include summaries that do not imply negotiations, the resolution should not qualify the outcome as “negotiated.” Other delegates called for an intergovermentally negotiated and agreed outcome.

On the scope of the conference, some Member States considered that UNGA Resolution 68/204 in its entirety should provide the scope of the conference, stressing the need for a holistic and visionary approach of financing, while others called for limiting the scope to the UNGA resolution’s paragraphs initially discussed, particularly paragraphs 40 and 43.

On 4 June 2014, Member States will begin the informal informal consultations. The last informal informal consultation on the Third Conference on FfD is expected to take place on 6 June 2014. [IISD RS Sources] [FfD Website] [UNGA Resolution 68/204][Revised Co-Facilitators’ Text from 2 June and invitation to direct negotiations on 4 June]