Coordinators of Plastics Dialogue ready ministerial statement and other outcomes for MC14

The meeting was chaired by the Ambassadors and Deputy permanent representatives of Barbados, China, Ecuador, Morocco, Australia and Fiji - the co-coordinators of the DPP. Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam attended the meeting.

The coordinators thanked members for their engagement in multiple consultations over the past few months leading to the final version of the ministerial statement (INF/TE/IDP/W/20/Rev.3), which captures the achievements of the DPP to date and outlines directions for future engagement. The ministerial statement highlights the importance of improved trade cooperation in order to contribute to domestic, regional and global efforts to reduce plastics pollution. It reaffirms the role of the Dialogue in delivering concrete, pragmatic and effective outcomes that support these efforts, including by enhancing transparency, fostering a deeper understanding of international standards and regulations, and supporting technical assistance and capacity-building.

They iterated that the roadmap for future work outlined in the statement is non-exhaustive and invited members to further elaborate a concrete and pragmatic work plan after MC14 to continue advancing trade-related solutions to plastics pollution with the aim of delivering further outcomes by MC15. DPP co-sponsors welcomed the statement and looked forward to continued work post MC14.

The ministerial statement is accompanied by five technical documents, which outline the Dialogue's technical work since MC13. These cover the monitoring of trade flows of plastic inputs and products; the adoption of trade-related plastics measures; the regulation of single-use plastic products; goods, services and technologies for waste management; as well as non-plastic substitutes and alternative materials to single-use plastics.

DDG Paugam welcomed the successful adoption of the ministerial statement and the tangible outcomes achieved or facilitated through the Dialogue, such as the recent plastics-related amendments adopted in the new version of the Harmonized System for customs classification (HS2028). He said: "They demonstrate how member-driven cooperation in the WTO can translate into practical support, even beyond the institution and into strong policy coherence. The DPP is a clear illustration of how the WTO can provide a space for members to work together pragmatically, share experiences and contribute to global efforts to protect our environment while supporting sustainable trade."

The coordinators plan to launch the ministerial statement during a press briefing at MC14.

Launched in November 2020 by a group of WTO members, the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution has grown from 78 co-sponsors at MC13 to a current total of 83 co-sponsors, representing almost 90 per cent of global trade in plastics.