Plastics Dialogue coordinators issue MC14 ministerial statement, technical outcome package

On 26 March, the opening day of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), the six co-coordinators of the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP) - Australia, Barbados, China, Ecuador, Fiji and Morocco - presented a ministerial statement and a package of five technical document documents. Together, they reflect the progress achieved by participating members since MC13 and set out a forward-looking roadmap for trade-related cooperation to address plastics pollution.

Plastics Dialogue coordinators issue MC14 ministerial statement, technical outcome package

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• Dialogue on plastics pollution and environmentally sustainable plastics trade
• 14th WTO Ministerial Conference
• Ministerial conferences
• Trade and environment

The ministerial statement, circulated by the DPP coordinators, reaffirms members' commitment to international cooperation to reduce plastics pollution and promote more environmentally sustainable plastics trade. It outlines the achievements of the DPP to date, highlights the Dialogue's transition from exploratory discussions to structured, policy-relevant outputs and identifies priority areas for continued engagement. ��

Issued alongside the statement are five technical outcome documents, which summarize two years of intensive work by members and stakeholders. Together, they provide a structured, evidence-based overview of key trade-related dimensions of plastics pollution. The topics covered include �how to better monitor plastics trade flows; practical considerations in designing trade-related plastics measures; approaches to regulating single-use plastic products; goods, services and technologies for waste management and clean-up activities; and opportunities to scale up environmentally sound non-plastic substitutes and alternatives to single-use plastics.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam - who moderated the event -said: "What makes this Dialogue so important is its focus on practical outcomes. The package presented at this Ministerial Conference reflects two years of hands-on, technical and member-driven work. It shows clear movement from discussion to implementation." He added that the building blocks of the package "help make national measures more coherent, more predictable, and ultimately more effective."

H.E. Omar Hejira, Secretary of State in charge of Foreign Trade of Morocco said: "Today, with 83 co-sponsors representing nearly 90% of global plastics trade, we reaffirm the importance of international cooperation and the role that trade can play in supporting efforts to reduce this pollution" and "remain fully committed to continuing this collective work after MC14".

Mrs. Donna Forde, Director General of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, highlighted the urgency of the problem: "Small issland developing states stand on the frontlines of the plastics crisis. For us, plastics pollution is not an abstract environmental concern- it is an existential threat." She also reaffirmed SIDS' "commitment to be part of the solution."

H.E. Mr. Laitia Tamata, Permanent Representative to the WTO and other international organizations of Fiji, said: "As a small island developing country from the Pacific, Fiji sees tremendous value in being a co-sponsor of the DPP, as we are able to provide real life experiences of challenges faced by developing and least developed countries and the types of capacity building training, technical assistance and funding required by smaller economies to address plastic pollution."

Building upon Fiji's remarks, H.E. Mr. James Baxter, Permanent Representative to the WTO of Australia, �said: "For our Pacific family, plastics pollution is threatening their way of life, fisheries, and tourism. Like the Pacific, Australia is advocating for an effective international agreement to seek globally coordinated action on plastics pollution." He further affirmed that the work of the DPP "demonstrates a broadening global commitment to addressing plastics pollution and its harm to our environment, our health, and our economies . to make the changes needed in how we trade".

Mr. Luis O�a-Garc�s, Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO of Ecuador, noted: "Plastics pollution affects us all, but challenges differ across countries - particularly for least-developed countries, small and vulnerable economies, small island developing states, and landlocked developing countries". He added that the Dialogue "shows that trade policies can promote economic growth while also protecting the environment. The agreed work programme reflects members' commitment to collaboration and multilateralism through constructive, open and transparent dialogue."

Mr. Hu Yingzhi, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the WTO, noted the opportunity that MC14 offers to see the issue from an African perspective. He said: "The challenges are real. Plastics pollution threatens African coastlines and tourism, damages fisheries and agriculture, and overwhelms waste systems." At the same time, Africa is rich in natural fibres and bio-based materials and using them to develop plastic alternatives "isn't just environmental protection, it can create jobs in rural communities and bring economic opportunities for many African members," he added.

In the ensuing Q&A with journalists, DPP coordinators underscored the relevance of the Dialogue's work, particularly for small, vulnerable economies, noting that plastics pollution poses direct threats to livelihoods and ecosystems. They emphasized that the Dialogue focuses on the trade dimension of the plastics crisis - including sharing concrete regulatory experiences, promoting shared standards for substitutes and alternatives, and facilitating access to technologies for development - as a practical way to complement broader global efforts to tackle plastics pollution. They also highlighted the role of the WTO as a platform to foster cooperation on trade-related aspects of plastics pollution, helping ensure that trade supports global environmental solutions.

More details on the Dialogue's MC14 outcome package are available here.

Launched�in November 2020 by a group of WTO members, the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution has grown from 78 co-sponsors at MC13 to a current total of 83 co-sponsors, representing almost 90 per cent of global trade in plastics.

Outcome documents issued by other environmental initiatives�

Two other environmental initiatives - the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) and the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform initiative - also issued outcome documents for MC14.

On 19 March, 79 WTO members participating in TESSD unveiled a package of documents for MC14, including a co-convenors' ministerial statement, an overarching report on TESSD's work, and outcome documents from its four working groups - trade-related climate measures, environmental goods and services, circular economy, and subsidies.

The package showcases progress achieved by participating members over the past five years and highlights the group's analytical work across its four workstreams since MC13. Members also expressed their readiness to focus on priority areas and deliver concrete actions after MC14. More details on TESSD's outcome package are available here.

On 26 March, the 48 WTO members co-sponsoring the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform initiative released a joint ministerial statement highlighting progress made since MC13 towards the rationalization, phase-out or elimination of harmful fossil fuel subsidies.

The statement sets out guidelines for designing transparent, targeted and temporary fossil fuel subsidy measures in response to energy crises. A non-exhaustive list of sample questions for use in WTO Trade Policy Reviews was also adopted alongside the statement, contributing to enhanced transparency on fossil fuel subsidies and their reform.

New Zealand also released its coordinator's progress report summarizing the main areas of work under the initiative during 2024-2025.

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