It is Tuesday of week 2. Negotiations for the UN CSD-19 are slow but that is usual. I am sitting in a small room with negotiators from some key groups that are discussing small wording amendments. The Chair's style is quite confrontational. But that is necessary as otherwise things would grind to a halt. It is tiring to watch.
Options seem limited. It is even more frustrating by the fact that some negotiators are not mandated to make concrete policy changes or amendments or accept things. I can see my country's negotiators sitting there silently watching proceedings. It isn't complicated. But they make it as complicated as swimming tar. If you do not have an active imagination, swimming in tar is not pleasant, it isn't sexy, it isn't fun, it isn't fun, it is seriously like watching paint drying then peeling off a building. It is discouraging.
It is hard to listen to. It is hard to explain what is happening without saying what they are discussing but as they are private negotiations, it is all very confidential and we do not want to set back negotiations further by mentioning the unmentionable.
I can say that the youth trackers have this room really well staked out. We actually have four youth in here. We are all listening closely and writing down any potential suggestions. It is funny how certain states insist on reading out positions while ignoring the fact that everyone else is tired and just want to create concrete changes based on positions. They need and want agreement. It is so exciting to watch real policy being negotiated. This is what I studied in University and this is what I love doing. Discussing policy, immersing myself in tiny details and listening to agreements.
I love negotiations.
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