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Highlights from Thursday,
6 April
In
the morning, Working Group I discussed Commitment 1, on an
enabling environment for social development. Working Group
III met in the morning and afternoon to deliberate the draft
political declaration. In the afternoon, Working Group II
finished an initial read of Commitment 3, on employment.
In The Corridors: With Working Group III Chair
Bagher Asadi on his way out of town, Working Group III labored
to clean the last brackets from the draft political declaration,
embracing “constructive ambiguity” as the key to final text.
Potential storms remain, however, on references to governance,
labor rights, institutional reform and economic benefit-sharing.
NGOs expressed dissatisfaction with the declaration, saying
that delegates have agreed on weak language that falls short
of Copenhagen’s spirit of hope and cooperation. Reminding
delegates that the review is not a “tea party,” they plan
to heat up the pot behind the scenes. NGOs from one large
group of countries say it’s time to stop lamenting the state
of world affairs. They are ready to support delegates’ efforts
to fight for stronger language.
Photo:
Gloria Kan, Chief, Intergovernmental Policy Branch, Division
for Social Policy and Development, consults with Working Group
III Chair Bagher Asadi, Iran
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