Over the course of Thursday, August 14 (the scheduled final day of negotiations) closed bilateral and regional consultations continued throughout the day. The Chair had to convene a last second Plenary just before midnight to allow negotiations to continue into the next day. He then circulated a new version of the text at 2:00 am on August 15, that was a product of the day’s closed meetings. This iteration was considered by negotiators at a Heads of Delegation meeting.

Closing plenary began just after dawn around 6:00am. At plenary, member states expressed disappointment and frustration with their failure to reach an agreement. Different options on the way forward were mentioned, including the potential for scheduling a resumed session, with members emphasizing that the organization of the negotiations needed to be improved. Many encouraged all parties to reflect on finding a compromise especially around the most contentious issues: definitions, design, finance, and scope among others. Delegations also asked the Chair to ensure that results of Contact Group sessions will be reflected in the final report and clarify that no consensus was reached regarding the two iterations of the text that were circulated on August 13 and August 15, respectively.

The Chair adjourned the session without clarity on the way forward.

Webcast of the session can be found here.