Plastic pollution does not recognize international borders. It can cross these borders as discarded waste, but also as traded products that do not meet standards compatible with available infrastructure and recovery systems to cater for their end-of-life in destination countries. This means that national regulations can only achieve so much when it comes to tackling plastic pollution. A recurring theme at the World Trade Organization’s dialogue on plastic pollution (WTO-DPP), regional legislation aligned with trade policy can be very effective in controlling avoidable single-use plastics, as well as supporting a transition from plastics to non-plastics substitutes and alternatives.
This session will explore how regional approaches can help tackle plastic pollution, and how such regional action can support an International Legally Binding Instrument (ILBI) on plastics pollution.
Programme
Introductory remarks: Mr. Daniel Ramos, Secretary, WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (tbc)
Moderator: Mr. David Vivas Eugui, Chief, Blue and Circular Economy Unit, UNCTAD
Speakers:
- Ms. Carlotta dal Lago, Africa Legal Network & Kenya Delegation to INC 5.2
- Mr. Anthony Talouli, Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) (tbc)
- Mr. Pedro Prata, The Latin America and the Caribbean Circular Economy Coalition, Ellen MaCarthur Foundation
- Ms. Elena Novat, Global Green Growth Institute, ASEAN (tbc)
Q&A
David Vivas Eugui is Chief of Ocean and Circular Economy Unit, a.i., Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch, at UNCTAD.
Previously, he was a Senior Economic Affairs Officer in UNCTAD’s Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch, Deputy Programmes Director at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Attaché for Legal Affairs at the Mission of Venezuela to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Staff Attorney at the Venezuelan Institute of Foreign Trade. David is an international expert with more than 20 years of experience on legal and economic issues.
He has worked as an advisor and consultant for various institutions, international and national organizations and has lectured on intellectual property, trade, oceans economy and environmental law at the University of Strasbourg (CEIPI), Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina), Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), Maastricht University (the Netherlands), WIPO Distant Learning Academy, and University of Business and International Studies (Switzerland).
He holds a JD from the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, an LLM from Georgetown University and a Master in Transnational Business from the Universidad Externado de Colombia.
