CSD-19: No Consensus

Regardless of a 24 hour final meeting from Friday through Saturday, CSD-19 concluded without adopting decisions on the thematic cluster of issues. In the waning hours delegates were presented with a Chair’s proposed text and also considered convening a resumed session in June, but did not adopt either. The folowing is a short insight into what happened in the final hours:

Friday
Convenes in the morning for a Ministerial Dialogue on moving towards sustainable development: expectations from Rio+20. Negotiations continue during the morning and through lunch under Working Groups 1 and 2 on means of implementation, transport, chemicals and waste management, in order to resolve outstanding issues in the text.
4:12 pm Plenary convenes to address remaining procedural issues on the agenda and the first plenary of CSD-20 opens to elect members of its Bureau.
4:26 pm Plenary suspended, pending resolutions of outstanding issues, as negotiations on means of implementation, chemicals and waste management not yet concluded.
6:00 pm Plenary still not reconvened.
10:27 pm The plenary remains suspended with no indication of when they might reconvene.
Saturday
12:10 am The plenary remains suspended as of midnight, with no indication of when they might reconvene.
12:30 am A new Chair's text circulated via the "e-room" and hardcopies follow shortly.
2:07 am Several negotiating groups remain in consultations and no indication when plenary to reconvene.
2:52 am Plenary resumes and Chair Borbély proposes adoption of the Chair's text prepared under his authority. The G-77/China opposes adoption as is and makes proposals for numerous changes to the text and the League of Arab States opposes adoption without reference to the rights of peoples living under foreign occupation. The US, EU and Japan support adoption of the Chair's text.
3:36 am Plenary suspended for further consultation.
4:12 am Parties reiterate their positions.
4:47 am Plenary is suspended to continue consultations to attempt resolution of impasses on language on foreign occupation and MOI, among others.
5:10 am Plenary remains in suspension. 
7:18 am Plenary reconvenes and debates a possible resumed CSD session.
8:52 am After adjourning and reconvening again, delegates discuss the possibility of a resumed session. However, due to lack of a quorum no decision could be taken and CSD-19 closes having failed to agree on a resumed session or an agreed outcome.

An in-depth report on the outcomes of CSD-19 will appear in Issue 41.3 of Environmental Policy and Law: The journal for decision-makers.

Read the IISD Summary of the session including the "brief analysis" toward the end for a greater insight into what has been termed a "debacle".


Chair, László Borbély implores delegates to accept the text