Previamente, en el documento final de la CM12, los Miembros de la OMC reconocieron los retos ambientales mundiales como el cambio climático, la pérdida de biodiversidad y la contaminación, y señalaron la importancia de la contribución del sistema multilateral de comercio a la promoción de la Agenda 2030 de las Naciones Unidas y sus Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible. Los Miembros reafirmaron la importancia de prestar el apoyo pertinente a los países en desarrollo y los países menos adelantados (PMA) Miembros para que puedan alcanzar un desarrollo sostenible y destacaron el papel del Comité de Comercio y Medio Ambiente (CCMA) de la OMC.

Sobre la base del documento final de la CM12, los Miembros están debatiendo un proyecto de texto sobre comercio y medio ambiente que se incluirá en la declaración final de la CM13 para seguir orientando la labor de la Organización. Los Miembros también están tratando de mejorar ciertos procedimientos para revitalizar el CCMA. Asimismo, en consonancia con el interés de los Miembros por mantener debates de alto nivel sobre comercio y medio ambiente, el primer día de la CM13 se celebrará una "conversación ministerial" sobre desarrollo sostenible.

In addition, three groups of WTO members presented at MC13 the progress they have made with their various initiatives and their work plans for the years ahead: the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP) which comprises 78 members; the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD), which comprises 76 WTO members; and Fossil Fuel Subsidies Reform (FFSR), which comprises 48 WTO members.

On the final day of MC13 on 2 March 2024, WTO members adopted the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration which includes the following paragraph: "In recalling the objectives in the Marrakesh Agreement and in recognising the role that the multilateral trading system can play in contributing towards the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, in so far as they relate to the WTO mandate, we underscore the importance of trade and sustainable development in its three pillars – economic, social, and environmental."

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in her MC13 closing speech said: "Organizing an interactive dialogue in a Ministerial Conference was an innovation, but it paid off. Ministers had a high demand to freely exchange perspectives, listened to each other, got a better understanding of each other's views and experiences."

MC13 outcomes

At the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), the co-coordinators of the Dialogue — Australia, Barbados, China, Ecuador, Fiji and Morocco —  issued a Ministerial Statement outlining a set of actions to curb trade in harmful plastics, unnecessary single-use plastics and plastics packaging and to promote substitutes, such as bamboo or algae biomass. Measures already being adopted by WTO members, such as bans on single-use plastics, are reflected in a factual compilation attached to the statement.

The statement also calls for further "concrete, pragmatic and effective outcomes" by MC14. On 3 April, the co-sponsors introduced an updated work plan for building on and implementing the actions outlined in the statement.

The statement also calls for further "concrete, pragmatic and effective outcomes" by MC14. On 3 April, the co-sponsors introduced an updated work plan for building on and implementing the actions outlined in the statement.