German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke plans to travel to Ottawa on Saturday for UN talks on a global treaty on plastic pollution, her ministry announced in Berlin on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Lemke will hold talks with her Canadian counterpart Steven Guilbeault ahead of the fourth session of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on the issue. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will open the conference on Monday.
The UN talks focus on a new effort to agree a legally binding international treaty on reducing plastic waste, including in the marine environment, by the end of this year.
Binding rules are planned for the entire life cycle of plastic products, including the production process. The development towards a circular economy for plastics will also play a role.
During the third session in Kenya in the autumn, the 170 participating countries failed to reach an agreement.
Lemke will sit at the negotiating table in Canada and participate in a meeting at ministerial level.
On Tuesday in Beijing, Lemke signed a German-Chinese action plan for closer cooperation in reducing waste and saving resources. She will attend an Our Ocean conference in Athens on Wednesday.
