As governments and stakeholders gathered in Ottawa from 23–29 April 2024 for the fourth session of negotiations on a global plastics treaty, TESS worked to support an ambitious and effective treaty, while continuing its ongoing efforts to foster trade-related cooperation on plastic pollution.
From 23–29 April 2024, the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment (INC-4) convened in Ottawa, Canada. At this penultimate of five scheduled sessions to complete the negotiations before the end of 2024, delegates discussed a revised draft text of the future instrument. In the context of our ongoing work on the global plastics treaty negotiations, TESS was on the ground supporting governments seeking to achieve an ambitious treaty.
TESS Events at INC-4
Opportunities for Cooperation on Trade and the INC: Insights from the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and National Experiences
26 April 2024 – 13:30-15:45
Alongside INC-4, TESS hosted this public panel event to raise awareness about the work of the Dialogue on Plastic Pollution at the WTO and highlight opportunities for cooperation on trade and plastic pollution. The event aimed to inform discussions on trade and plastic pollution in the INC context, drawing attention to insights from the Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and its recent ministerial statement at the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference. To inform and support the work of the INC, speakers highlighted the range of governments taking trade-related action as part of their efforts to tackle plastic pollution, lessons about compatibility of multilateral environmental agreements and WTO rules, and reflections from national experiences on the importance of international cooperation.
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Approaches to Capacity Building, Financing, and Financial Mechanisms
24 April 2024 – 13 :30–14 :45
TESS spoke at this official INC-4 side event co-facilitated by the OECD and BRS Secretariat. In our comments we highlighted the importance of a holistic approach to resource mobilization and financing for treaty implementation and what such a holistic approach will require in terms of treaty provisions.
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Ahead of the opening session of INC-4, TESS hosted in Ottawa three informal roundtables on key topics for the plastics treaty negotiations:
Primary Plastic Polymers
21 April 2024 – 17:30-19:00
TESS hosted this roundtable to provide an opportunity for delegates and stakeholders to informally exchange views on recent developments and reports, expectations and priorities for INC-4 in relation to primary plastic polymers.
Financing and Means of Implementation
22 April 2024 – 15:15-16:45
TESS hosted this roundtable to provide an opportunity for a diverse group of delegates and stakeholders to informally exchange views on recent developments, proposals, and reports on financing and resource mobilization, as well as priorities for INC-4 in relation to discussion of treaty provisions on financing.
Chemicals and Polymers of Concern
23 April 2024 – 13:15-14:30
TESS hosted this roundtable to provide an opportunity for delegates and technical experts to informally exchange views on recent developments, member proposals, and expert reports on chemicals and polymers of concern, as well as priorities in relation to discussions at INC-4 and intersessional work on chemicals and polymers of concern towards INC-5.
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Finally, in the lead-up to and during INC-4, we continued to actively support the work of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution (HAC) as part of its Secretariat function. You can read here the HAC Member States Ministerial Joint Statement for INC-4.
You can access a live webcast of the Plenary and recordings from the session on the INC-4 website. Written statements, official documents, in-session documents are also available. You can also follow ENB coverage of INC-4.
Photo © #TurnOffThePlasticTap
Related TESS publications
Options for Trade-Related Cooperation on Problematic and Avoidable Plastics: Building on Existing Experiences with Single-Use Plastics
Recognizing the need for immediate steps by countries to reduce or eliminate problematic, harmful, and avoidable plastics, this policy brief aims to inform discussion on options for trade-related cooperation and action on single-use plastics that could be pursued through international processes, including through the plastics treaty negotiations and the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution.
Trends in Trade Flows Across the Life Cycle of Plastics: Preliminary Review
In a range of international processes—the plastics treaty negotiations, the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution, and Basel Convention’s deliberations on plastic waste trade—governments have noted the importance of improving the transparency of trade flows across the life cycle of plastics and of the material composition of products traded internationally. To inform these discussions, this briefing note provides a preliminary review of trends in trade flows across the full life cycle of plastics, starting from trade in feedstocks, precursors, and chemical additives commonly used in plastics through to a range of intermediary and final plastic products, and plastic wastes.