On June 21, the proponents of "Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade" held the third informal dialogue meeting. More than 110 representatives from WTO members, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and academia participated in the meeting.
The meeting was co-chaired by Barbados Ambassador Blackman and Ecuador Ambassador Valencia.
Ambassador Li Chenggang attended and delivered a speech. Representatives of the WTO Secretariat, the European Union, the United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Organization for Standardization, the World Economic Forum, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and the Geneva Institute for Advanced Study made speeches successively. The focus will be on strengthening policy coherence, assessing capabilities and technical assistance needs, as well as determining the scope of joint promotion methods. At the same time, further exchange of views on the possible results of the initiative in MC12 and the roadmap.
Ambassadors or representatives of Switzerland, Norway, Ghana, the United Kingdom, Chad (on behalf of LDC Group), Australia, Canada, Maldives, Jamaica, Russia and Uruguay participated in the discussion. There are currently 16 co-signing members.
1. Informal Dialogue on "Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastic Trade" was launched
On November 17, 2020, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Fiji and other members jointly launched an informal dialogue on "Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade" in the WTO. 19 ambassadors attended the meeting, and 237 representatives from the government, international organizations, business, academia and the news media attended the meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Fiji's Ambassador to the World Trade Organization Nazate Shamim Khan. Ambassador Zhang Xiangchen and WTO Deputy Director-General Wolfe delivered speeches. The Chairman of the WTO Trade and Environment Committee and representatives of the United Nations Environment Program, the WTO Environment Department, the Geneva Institute for Advanced Study, and the World Economic Forum made keynote speeches. Share the work done by relevant agencies to deal with plastic pollution, and express opinions on how the WTO will carry out the next step. The ambassadors or deputy representatives of Morocco, Canada, Jamaica, Australia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Pakistan and the Pacific Islands Forum participated in the discussion.
2.The second informal dialogue on "Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastic Trade"
On March 29, 2021, the proponents of "Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade" held the second informal dialogue meeting. 140 representatives from WTO members, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and academia attended the meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Omar ZNIBER, Moroccan Ambassador to the WTO.
Ambassador Li Chenggang and WTO Director-General Ivira delivered speeches, the Chairman of the WTO Trade and Environment Committee and the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the WTO Environment Department，Representatives from the Geneva Institute for Advanced Study, the World Economic Forum, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development made speeches, focusing on improving transparency and strengthening international cooperation. At the same time, exchange opinions on the possible results of the initiative in MC12 and the roadmap. Ambassadors or deputy representatives of Fiji, Barbados, Australia, Switzerland, Central Africa, Canada, Ecuador, Thailand, Niger and Pacific Islands Forum participated in the discussion. The co-signing members include 14 members including China, Morocco, Fiji, Barbados, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, New Zealand, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Gambia, Ecuador, and Jamaica.
