The World Trade Organization (WTO) has opened registration for three March webcasts covering plastics regulation, regulatory cooperation on climate change, and decarbonization standards for trade.
Thematic Session on Plastics Regulation (March 7)
The WTO’s Thematic Session on Plastics Regulation will be moderated by David Jankowski, director of agricultural affairs, Office of the United States Trade Representative Executive Office of the President, with speaker Kate Beers, circular economy program lead at NIST. The session will provide an opportunity to share experiences and good practices in the area of plastic regulation and policy, which aim to minimize plastic waste leakage and plastic pollution while encouraging trade and innovation. Members and stakeholders will represent a variety of roles in the life cycle of plastic production, consumption, and end of life management.
Presentations will encompass current approaches to manage plastic waste and promote reuse, recycling, and innovation, including those that may involve certification or labeling, voluntary initiatives, suitability, costs and opportunities of viable alternatives, and supply chain and manufacturing considerations, with a focus on identification of best practices for facilitation of trade.
The session will also address how members, industry, international organizations, and/or non-governmental organizations are working to develop approaches to reduce plastic waste and plastic pollution, as well as promote reuse, recycling, and innovation. It will also include information on how WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) principles contribute to effective policies to manage plastic waste and plastic pollution, among other topics.
Access more information and register for the event.
Thematic Session on Regulatory Cooperation between Members on Climate Change (March 7)
The WTO TBT Committee Thematic Session on Regulatory Cooperation between Members on Climate Change, moderated by Aashish Chandorkar, counsellor, Permanent Mission of India to the WTO, with speaker Alexa Burr, vice president of standards and segment services global industry services, American Petroleum Institute (API), will examine the role of technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures in contributing to members' strategies to address climate change. Members will share experiences and good practices on the adoption of technical regulations and standards that contribute to achieving the goals and principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, while adhering to the disciplines of the TBT Agreement.
Preliminary guiding questions for the session will cover issues related to the international cooperation and the role of the TBT Committee, including what role the TBT Committee should play in enhancing international cooperation to promote effective and trade-facilitating regulations and standards related to trade and climate change. The session will also examine how international cooperation within the TBT Committee can contribute to the adoption of technical regulations related to trade and climate change that support members' commitments under multilateral environment agreements.
The session will also address:
Access more information and register for the event.
WTO Event on Decarbonization Standards for Trade: Promoting coherence and transparency in the steel sector (March 9)
The WTO Secretariat will hold an event addressing Decarbonization Standards for Trade: Promoting coherence and transparency in the steel sector. The event's focus on the steel sector signals the importance of steel as the essential input in modern life and as one of the most energy- and emission-intensive industries globally, accounting for approximately 8% of annual CO2 emissions.
The event will bring together WTO members, industry leaders, and experts to foster a multi-stakeholder dialogue on how coherent and transparent standards have a crucial role to play in accelerating the global scale-up of low-carbon steelmaking technologies and avoiding trade frictions.
Speakers will include stakeholders from the steel sector, academia, international organizations, and civil society. The event will be held in person at the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland, and livestreamed.