Following a night of tense negotiations prior, INC-5.2 resumed with most of its meetings taking place in informal, or “informal informal” settings. Contact Groups 1, 3, and 4, met to report back the outcomes of informal negotiation rounds, but convergence and compromise were in short supply.

Negotiations stalled in Contact Group 3 as the Co-Chairs did not receive direction from the INC Chair to help them resolve the procedural question from Monday put forward by the group of developing countries. Contact Group 1 did not make any significant progress on resolving the impasse on Article 6 (Production) and a potential Scope provision. There appears to be momentum on a number of the divisive articles in “informal informals”, but time will tell if governments are able to find consensus and reach an agreement. Conversely, Contact Group 4 reported good progress achieved through “informal informals” and members engaging constructively in different discussions. The only concern for the Contact Group at this stage is time, but members expressed willingness to work towards achieving their mandate. Before closing the session, members agreed to send Article 30 (Withdrawal) to plenary.

The next 24 hours are a critical moment in time for the negotiations, and an inflection point in the INC process as a whole. Our industry delegation has continued to do exemplary work in engaging with governments, being a resource for negotiators, and expressing our support for a successful outcome in two days’ time.