Plastics Pollution Dialogue at WTO

Participating members in the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP) met on 18 September to advance discussions on two key areas —

• capacity building for developing members and
• the potential creation of domestic inventories of trade-related plastic measures.

The two topics are among the eight focus points outlined earlier this year. The DPP discussions aim at achieving meaningful outcomes in curbing plastics pollution at the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14).

Capacity building

Delegations examined ways to enhance the capacity of developing members to integrate trade as part of the solution to plastics pollution.

Following a presentation by the WTO Secretariat, participants reviewed the latest data and outcomes from the WTO's Aid for Trade Global Review and Needs Assessment Survey. The presentation aimed to illustrate ongoing efforts by the DPP to align existing funding opportunities with the specific trade-related needs of developing members.

Since MC13, around seven funding projects have been facilitated through the work of the Dialogue.

Delegations shared insights into existing or planned trade-related capacity building programmes, both from the perspective of donors and recipient partners.

Several members emphasized the importance of leveraging collaboration with other international organizations, such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Participating members also explored how efforts to match funding opportunities with trade-related needs could be refined ahead of MC14. Discussions centred around identifying new initiatives or areas of cooperation that could be launched at the next Ministerial Conference to further support developing members in their efforts to combat plastics pollution through trade.

The guiding questions focused on several key areas of interest.

• One central question was how existing capacity-building programmes could be better utilized under the DPP.
• Additionally, consideration was given to the steps that could be taken at MC14 to enhance the ability of developing members to address plastics pollution through trade-related measures.

These questions highlight the need for strategic action and resource optimization to tackle plastics pollution on a global scale, particularly through trade mechanisms.

Trade-related plastic measures

Participants examined the potential for developing domestic inventories of trade-related plastic measures (TrPMs). The WTO Secretariat provided an overview of the results from the Dialogue's TrPM survey, highlighting gaps in available information on trade-related policies and regulations aimed at addressing plastics pollution.

An open discussion followed, where the possibility of creating a global, publicly available online inventory of TrPMs was raised. This platform, which could include structured information such as Harmonized System (HS) codes could enhance transparency and promote international cooperation on trade-related policies that address plastics pollution.

Delegations discussed whether such an initiative, potentially hosted by the WTO in collaboration with other institutions, would be useful and how to avoid duplication with other initiatives and maximize resources.

The utility of establishing domestic coordination mechanisms, such as focal points or interministerial committees, to streamline the management of TrPMs was debated. These mechanisms could help ensure a coordinated approach to addressing plastics pollution through trade policies at the domestic level.

Several key questions were discussed.

• One important topic was whether a global online TrPMs inventory would help increase transparency and facilitate cooperation among members.
• Another point of discussion centred on whether establishing domestic coordination mechanisms could improve the implementation of trade-related measures aimed at tackling plastics pollution.

The DPP will reconvene in the coming months to address the remaining focus areas and to continue refining their approach to integrating trade into global efforts to combat plastics pollution.