Several coordinators of the Dialogue — Barbados, Ecuador and Morocco — stressed that the MC13 Ministerial Statement marked an important milestone in the DPP's development. They said that the post-MC13 work plan would set the DPP on course to implement the Statement and achieve further outcomes by MC14. They welcomed the three new co-sponsors — Argentina, Mongolia and North Macedonia.

Australia, also a coordinator, presented the work plan. The plan proposes restarting the work of three workstreams and continuing technical work through thematic seminars and surveys. The three workstreams include crosscutting issues, reduction strategies to tackle plastics pollution, and promotion of trade to address plastics pollution, aligning with various actions identified in the MC13 Ministerial Statement. It was announced that Switzerland would join Australia and the Philippines as facilitators of the 'trade promotion' workstream.

At the meeting, participants were invited to delve into the three workstreams and discuss the way forward. For each workstream, they heard a wide range of presentations, including recent studies and work conducted by various international organizations, as well as innovations in non-plastic packaging shared by the business community.

Regarding two of the processes that the DPP has actively collaborated with, the Chair and the Secretariat of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC) — the body overseeing the ongoing multilateral negotiation process to reach a legally binding instrument on plastics pollution — provided an update on the negotiations. The World Customs Organization highlighted progress made in the Harmonized System (HS) reform process related to trade in plastics. The WTO Secretariat also presented definitions and criteria for single-use plastic goods as outlined in the DPP Survey of Trade-related Plastic Measures, developed in close cooperation with the HS reform efforts.

Participants welcomed the draft work plan and provided comments. Some emphasized the importance of continued cooperation between the DPP and other important international processes to address plastics pollution, particularly aligning with the ongoing multilateral negotiation process at the INC to reflect the trade-related solutions discussed at the DPP.

There was a strong call to narrow the scope of the workstreams and target specific issues for tangible results, such as single-use plastics and plastic packaging. Additionally, some suggested focusing more on waste management rather than eliminating all plastic products. Other salient issues highlighted included social protection and inclusion, biodiversity impact assessment, technology challenges, and capacity building for developing members.

Ecuador and Australia thanked participants for the rich discussion and insightful suggestions regarding the work plan. They said that coordinators will take into account all feedback, which will serve as guidance to advance the Dialogue in the lead-up to MC14. Various activities, including workshops, regular DPP meetings, and side events at the margins of other WTO main events, will be organized to achieve this goal.

Launched in November 2020 by a group of WTO members, the Plastics Pollution Dialogue currently consists of 79 co-sponsors, representing more than 85 per cent of global trade in plastics.