DIALOGUE ON PLASTIC POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTALLY

DRAFT MC14 statement

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Reaffirming the Dialogue's Ministerial Statements issued at the WTO 12^th (WT/MIN(21)/8/Rev.2) and 13^th (WT/MIN(24)/14) Ministerial Conferences and the shared understandings reached and reflected in the six principles and actions included in the MC13 Ministerial Statement, including the importance of international cooperation.

Continuing to welcome the timely conclusion of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution pursuant to the United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/14: End plastic pollution.

Highlighting the importance of the rules-based multilateral trading system and of the WTO as a platform to enhance the positive contribution of trade to global efforts to end plastic pollution.

Highlighting the progress of the collective work of the Dialogue since its launch, including:

·_              Increasing transparency of plastics trade flows through extensive technical work on statistical approaches to measure plastic content and flows throughout the life cycle of traded goods, including relevant guidelines developed by UNITAR and UNEP and approaches shared by delegations and other international institutions, and by supporting the 2028 revision of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Harmonized System (HS) codes, which included modifications to facilitate the identification of trade flows of goods containing plastics, including single-use goods.

·_              Identifying potential gaps in international standards applicable to non-plastic substitutes and alternatives, while recognizing and welcoming related work by standardization bodies such as the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), the Codex Alimentarius (FAO), and others.

·_              Extensive mapping of Members' approaches to identifying and regulating single-use plastic (SUPs) goods and opportunities for enhanced cooperation, including regionally.

·_              Supporting technical assistance and capacity building activities by helping identify developing Members' needs and available resources and funding opportunities, including through matchmaking efforts as well as through the facilitation of the delivery of existing trade-related projects.

We have accordingly reached the following shared understandings:

We will continue to cooperate on the basis of the shared principles contained in the MC13 Ministerial Statement and reaffirm the importance of international cooperation on the actions contained therein.

We further agree on the importance of international cooperation on the following actions and pursuing such actions, including on a voluntary basis, individually and collectively, in the spirit of international cooperation, while recognizing different domestic challenges and priorities for action, and building on the fruitful discussions reflected in technical outcomes A, B, C, D, and E:

·_              Further collaborate to improve transparency, monitoring and understanding of trade flows throughout the value chain of plastics, including through the coordinated use of statistical approaches such as those reflected in technical outcome A, and support work towards prompt implementation of the plastic-related elements of the HS2028 reform, through cooperation between Members, customs authorities, and relevant international organizations.

·_              Continue identifying and sharing opportunities for enhanced trade cooperation, coherence, harmonization, alignment or interoperability of different approaches in regulating SUPs, as reflected in technical outcome B, including at the regional level, with a view to increasing policy effectiveness, reducing implementation costs for governments and businesses, and facilitating trade in compliant goods.

·_              Continue sharing experiences, including through case studies, to further develop a structured document of practices and elements members consider when adopting trade-related plastic measures, using technical outcome C as a starting point.

·_              Encourage further knowledge sharing on innovative technologies and solutions to address plastics pollution and identify specific steps to facilitate access to and support trade in key goods, services, and technologies, including for environmentally sound waste management and clean-up activities, particularly those identified in technical outcome D.

·_              Identify key environmentally sound, safe, and effective non-plastic substitutes, alternatives and services, with a particular focus on local and regional nature-based solutions, including those that create opportunities for SMEs and rural development and further explore opportunities for facilitating trade in such goods and services, using technical outcome E as a starting point.

·_              Draw on prior experiences and continue identifying trade-related technical assistance and capacity building needs of developing members and least-developed countries (LDCs), including through enhancing match-making exercises to match existing resources, programmes and funding opportunities as well as potential solutions to address plastic pollution with a view to enhancing coordination among relevant members and stakeholders, avoid duplication of efforts, identify synergies and maximize impact.

We will continue to work in an open, inclusive, and transparent manner, and look for further concrete, pragmatic, and effective outcomes on all actions and understandings at the latest by the Fifteenth Ministerial Conference.

Technical outcomes ATTACHED TO THE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

·_              Technical outcome A: Analytical summary of statistical approaches to estimate trade flows of embedded plastics, packaging and single-use products discussed in the DPP

·_              Technical outcome B: Analytical summary of the different approaches in regulating single-use plastic products discussed in the DPP

·_              Technical outcome C: Synopsis of considerations in the adoption of trade-related plastic measures raised in DPP discussions

·_              Technical outcome D: Synopsis of services and technologies for waste management and clean-up activities identified in DPP discussions

·_              Technical outcome E: Synopsis of non-plastic substitutes, alternatives and services to single-use plastic products identified in DPP discussions.

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