INF/TE/IDP/CN/4/Rev.1  
 
25 March 2022  
(22-2585) Page: 1/4 
 Original: English  
 
  
INFORMAL DIALOGUE ON PLASTICS POLLUTION  
AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS TRADE (IDP)  
CONVENING NOTICE  
Revision  
The following revised convening notice, dated 25 March 202 2, is being circulated at the request of 
the IDP Coordinators  (Australia, Barbados, China, Ecuador, Fiji and Morocco).  
 
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1. IDP will hold its next regular meeting in hybrid  mode on Wednesday , 30 March 202 2,  
from 10 a.m. Geneva time.  All WTO Members are invited to attend the meeting. Please see 
technical arrangements in Annex II. 
2. Agenda . 
1) Introductory remarks  
 
H.E. Mr Jose Valencia (Ecuador)  
H.E. Mr LI Chenggang (China)  
H.E. Mr George Mina (Australia)  
Deputy Director -General  Xiangchen  Zhang  
 
2) Update on 18 March workstream s meeting.  
 
3) Technical segment " How trade and trade policies can contribute to tackling plastic 
pollution – our work ahead"  
 
UNEP, UNCTAD and TESS   
 
4) Open discussion  
 
Guiding Questions  
 
What are the key priorities for implementation of the IDP Ministerial Statement?  How can 
the IDP implement these priorities?  What tools can the IDP utilise and what actions can the 
IDP take to implement the Ministerial Statement?  
 
Members and stakeholders are e ncouraged to respond to the update in Item 2 and the 
presentations in Item 3 and from stakeholders on 18 March.  To further support discussion 
at this and future meetings of the IDP, the workstream s facilitators have developed a series 
of additional guiding  questions (see Annex I).  
 
Members, international institutions and other stakeholders are invited to share their 
comments and views.  
 INF/TE/IDP/CN/4/Rev.1  
 
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  5) National and regional trade -related actions and policies to tackle plastic pollution.  
 
Members are invited to share their experience with national and regional trade -related 
actions and policies, including trade -related challenges and opportunities.  
 
6) DDG Zhang and Coordinators concluding remarks.  
 
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 INF/TE/IDP/CN/4/Rev.1  
 
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  Annex I – Additional Guiding Questions  
 
• How can the IDP encourage enhanced transparency regarding trade policies relevant to 
reducing plastic pollution and environmentally sustainable plastics trade?  For example, 
would a taxonomy of types of trade policies or recomm endations for providing information 
on trade policies be helpful?  Would it be useful to have a survey or other compilation of 
existing national experience, practices and challenges in regard to the use of trade policies 
to tackle plastic pollution?   
 
• How c an we encourage consideration of plastic pollution and environmentally sustainable 
plastics trade in Aid for Trade programmes with environmentally sustainable objectives? 
What are specific Aid for Trade priorities for developing countries, and how can dono rs and 
Aid for Trade providers better support these?   
 
• Which international processes and efforts can the IDP most effectively engage with and 
support (for example, UNEA, BRS, WCO), including facilitating interaction between trade and 
environment officials?  
 
• How can the IDP best contribute its trade expertise to the work of these processes in regard 
to plastic pollution [to what?], i.e. input in areas such as design of standards and labelling 
for plastics, identifying options and best practices for the effective use of trade policies to 
support plastic pollutio n reduction efforts; identifying where trade can support plastic 
pollution reduction (e.g. in environmentally sustainable non -plastic substitutes or 
environmentally sound waste management and clean up technologies); 
proposing/identifying specific areas whe re improved trade -related data is needed for trade -
related cooperation on plastic pollution, including through improved HS classifications; 
facilitating interaction between trade and environment officials working on plastic pollution?  
 
• What are priorities,  best practices and national/regional actions that can be pursued for 
promoting and facilitating trade in goods and services to tackle plastic pollution, including 
standards, labelling, as well as access to and use of technologies such as waste management 
and effective substitutes and alternatives? What action are being taken - or could be taken 
– nationally and regionally, and where would international cooperation support the 
effectiveness of these actions?  
 
• How can the promotion and facilitation of trade in goods and services, including the use and 
access to technologies, support the work of other international processes, including improved 
HS classifications?  
 
• What are the key trade policy challenges and opportunities relevant to the shift to a circular 
economy for plastics that reduces plastic pollution across the life cycle and serves sustainable 
development goals?  
 
• How can trade -related cooperation help supp ort effort to reduce unnecessary or harmful 
plastics and plastic products, including single -use plastics and plastic packaging?  
 
• How can trade and trade policies promote a circular economy that supports international 
efforts to tackle plastics pollution an d sustainable development goals?  
 
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  INF/TE/IDP/CN/4/Rev.1  
 
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  Annex II - Technical Arrangements  
 
Please note that this meeting will be held in  hybrid mode  (room D and via Interprefy).  
 
1  REMOTE PARTICIPATION  
The conditions for remote participation are the same as those followed in previous WTO meetings . 
A technical guide summarizing logistical details for participation in this meeting can be found on the 
calendar tab  for the meeting or at: 
https://www.wto.org/library/events/interprefy_technical_note/wto_interprefy_delegate_guide_e.p
df. 
 
Before the meeting:  
 
• In view of technical constraints, it is strongly recommended that virtual attendance be 
limited to a maximum of 3 persons per delegation.   
 
• Your account creation is the responsibility of your Delegation Coordinator. Please contact 
your Delegation Coordinator or vcsupport@wto.org for more details.  
You must register before 2 5 March COB Geneva Time.   
 
• We are available one hour before the meeting to test your connection with you .  
 
• During the test or the meeting, any delegation experiencing technical difficulties may call 
+41 22 739 6824 or email vcsupport@wto.org .  
 
During the meeting:  
 
• If technical difficulties result in delegations being unable to intervene virtually under a given 
agenda item, the opportunity to take the floor will be given at an appropriate juncture before 
the meeting closes. Should the technical problem pers ist, delegations may contact the 
meeting coordinators ( idp@wto.org ) during the course of the meeting, either to send their 
statement for it to be read out during the meeting, or to request that the attendees be 
informed of their interest in the item under consideration and their intention to circulate 
their written statem ent after the meeting.  
 
2  ATTENDANCE IN THE MEETING ROOM  
For the health protection of all, and to respect the sanitary measures in place, delegations are 
requested to limit in -person attendance to one person per delegation to the extent possible. 
Delegation s attending the meeting in person are kindly asked to register, using the registration 
function on the WTO website.  
 
3  STATEMENTS  
To facilitate interpretation, delegations are strongly encouraged to send their written statements to 
the Secretariat ( idp@wto.org ) before the meeting starts. Statements will also be gratefully received 
during the meeting ( idp@wto.org ). 
 
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