RESTRICTED  
  
INF/TE/IDP/R/4  
 
2 February 2022  
(22-0803) Page: 1/2 
 Original: English  
 
 
INFORMAL DIALOGUE ON PLASTIC S POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE 
PLASTIC S TRADE  
MEETING HELD ON 22 OCTOBER 2021  
Informal summary by the Coordinators1 
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The last meeting  for 2021  of the Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally 
Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP) was held on 2 2 October  2021. The meeting was chaired by 
Ambassador George Mina  (Australia).2 The agenda for the meeting was contained in WTO document 
INF/TE/IDP/CN/3, circulated on 08 October 2021.  All WTO Members were invited and encouraged to 
attend the meeting, which was held in hybrid format through Zoom.  
 
The meeting focused on the draft MC12 Ministerial Statement that had been circulated to all 
deleg ations by the co -sponsors on 15 October 2021 (INF/TE/IDP/W/4) . Alongside the presentation 
of the Ministerial Statement, the meeting also included  a presentation of the IDP Factual Report  
(INF/TE/IDP/W/3)  and reactions on these two items by stakeholders.  
 
IDP co -sponsors adopted a Ministerial Statement on 10  December  2021 
(WT/MIN(21)/8/Rev.2 ). IDP co -sponsors were discussing how to structure work in 2022 around the 
elements in the Ministerial Statement, with a first meeting planned for March.  
 
PRESENTATION OF THE IDP FACTUAL REPORT  
1.1.  Ambassador Mina  invited the WTO Secretariat to present the IDP Factual Report  
(INF/TE/IDP/W/3) , which consolidated and organized information presented and discussed at the  
IDP. The report highlighted the evolution of the WTO's work on plastics pollution and mapped current 
international action with trade implications. It summarised discussions on the IDP's six main topics 
since its launch in November 2020  that included improving transparency and monitoring trade 
trends,  promoting best practices, cooperating with other international processes and efforts , 
identifying the scope for collective approaches, strengthening policy  coherence, and assessing 
capacity and technical assistance needs. The report also explored the stat e of the informal dialogue 
– including proposed topics of focus for future discussions.  
1.2.  Participating Members  welcomed the report  and noted it was a useful information tool for 
discussions going forward.  Ambassador Mina said the report set the parameters for future work at 
the IDP and could be instrumental in building support from more Members for the dialogue.  
 
1 This summary, prepared and circulated under the Coordinators' responsibility, is being shared with a 
view to providing delegations with a record of the discussions and assisting them in reporting back to their 
capitals. It provides a non -exhaustive, illus trative review of the issues addressed by Members at the meeting. 
The voluntary Coordinators were Australia, Barbados, China, Ecuador, Fiji and Morocco . 
2 Current IDP coordinators are: Australia, Barbados, China,  Ecuador,  Fiji, and Morocco.  INF/TE/IDP/R/4  
 
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PRESENTATION OF THE IDP CO -SPONSORS MINISTERIAL STATEMENT  
2.1.  Next, Ambassador George Mina introduced the draft MC12 Ministerial Statement, noting it was 
the result of the work of a  voluntary, open -ended and  informal drafting group, which was facilitated 
by Australia and Ecuador.   
2.2.  Ecuador presented  a summary  of the  Statement which recognized the importance of the plastic 
pollution challenge, t he role of trade, the complementarity with other international processes and 
the linkage to the work in the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) and other initiatives at 
the WTO . The Statement identified areas of work that needed to be intensified, inc luding enhanced 
transparency, sharing of experiences and trade -related capacity building. It listed actions that could 
support other international processes, such as enhanced cooperation on definitions, standards and 
design, as well as identifying effectiv e trade policies to support implementation of such efforts. The 
Statement  also underlined the value of discussions and best  practices and experience sharing to 
identify potential trade policies that could, inter alia , help to reduce unnecessary or harmful plastics 
and plastic products, including single -use plastics , as well as the promotion of goods and services 
that c ould reduce plastic s pollution. Ecuador  further noted  the importance of collaboration  between 
developing and developed countries  to address plastics pollution and invited more Members to join 
IDP and to endorse the Ministerial Statement .  
SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS  
3.1.  The Chair opened the floor for discussions and a  number of stakeholders  intervened , including 
international3 and non -governmental institutions .4  
3.2.  Several p articipating  Members acknowledged the progress made in the IDP and stressed the 
importance of enhanced mutual complementarity between the WTO and other international 
processes in addressing plastics pollution , such as the second part of the Fifth Session of the United 
Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA -5), expected to be resumed in February 2022 . Some 
participating Members reiterated the need for capacity building and technical assistance in  least 
developed cou ntries (L DCs) and small island developing states ( SIDS). Other participating Members 
underscored the need to tackle plastic pollution by addressing the entire plastics life cycle.  
3.3.  Several participating Members called for enhanced synergies between the IDP  and other 
environment -related forums at the WTO, including the C TE and the Trade and Environmental 
Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD). One participating member provided textual 
suggestions. Ambassador Chenggang Li (China), a co -coordinator of t he IDP, announced its decision 
to officially join TESSD. This was received  as a very positive move and welcomed by the co -sponsors 
of TESSD participating in the meeting.  
3.4.  Generally , stakeholders commended the Statement as a remarkable step forward for the WTO 
and trade cooperation in support ing global environmental sustainability objectives.  One stakeholder 
made textual suggestions to the draft Statement relating to the level of ambition and closing the 
information gap on certain aspects of plastics trade, among other things.  Several stakeholders , 
including the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS – Graduate Institute), the 
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the World Economic Forum (WEF) , the 
Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, the Organisation for Economic Co -operation 
and Development ( OECD ), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ( UNCTAD ) and 
the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ), shared their own relevant initiatives and work 
related to the topic of plastics pollution . 
CLOSING REMARKS AND NEXT STEPS  
4.1.  Ambassador Mina welcomed the engagement and feedback received. He  encouraged all 
delegates to invite other Members to join the IDP , noted that the Min isterial Statement was 
effectively stabilized and urged Members to support the Ministerial Statement at MC12.  
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3 The internati onal institutions included : the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, the 
OECD, UNCTAD and UNEP.  
4 The non -governmental institutions included : the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS – 
Graduate Institute), the International Institut e for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Center for 
International Environmental Law (CIEL), and the World Economic Forum (WEF).