See more coverage of this event on the main IISD ENB website

We have launched a new website to better share our reports of global environmental negotiations.

As well as current coverage of new negotiations, you can find our original reports from this event by clicking here.

Thirty-seventh Session of the International Tropical Timber Council and Associated Sessions of the Committees


13-18 December 2004, Yokohama, Japan



 Earth Negotiations Bulletin - ENB
  English   French
Daily Web coverage
HTM PDF
TXT
HTM PDF
TXT
 Mon 13
 Sat 18  &
SUMMARY
 

 Click on the above days to view previous ENB Web coverage.

Click here to translate this page through the courtesy of Babelfish

 

 

 

Highlights for Monday, 13 December 2004

 

On Monday morning, delegates convened in Plenary to hear opening statements and attend to organizational matters. In the afternoon, delegates met in a Joint Committee session to hear a report from the Expert Panel on the Technical Appraisal of Project Proposals and recommence work on improving effectiveness and efficiency of project work. Delegates also met in the Committees on Economic Information and Market Intelligence and on Forestry Industry (CEM/CFI) and the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF) to hear reports on completed projects and pre-projects and review ex-post evaluations. 

Above photo: The dais during the opening plenary of the 37th Session of the International Tropical Timber Council and associated sessions of the Committees
 


OPENING SESSION: 


Jan McAlpine (US), ITTC-37 Chair, opened the meeting by welcoming delegates and observers. She noted that over the past decade ITTO has developed an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation and is capable of addressing sensitive issues such as illegal logging.


Hiroshi Nakada, Mayor of Yokohama, noted the importance of the successor agreement to the ITTA, 1994 and expressed hope that Yokohama would continue to host the ITTO.



Manoel Sobral Filho, ITTO Executive Director, identified that the most important challenge facing negotiators of the successor agreement to the ITTA, 1994 is financing the organization’s work.


Naoto Maeda
, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, noted that illegally logged timber impedes the achievement of SFM.



Emile Doumba, Ministry of Forest Economy of Gabon, noted that SFM will be among the major themes of the Conference of Ministers in Charge of Central African Forests (COMIFAC),


Shigeki Sumi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, called for increased funding by all members to support ITTO projects and the work in support of the successor agreement to the ITTA, 1994.


JOINT COMMITTEE SESSION:

Above photo L-R: The dais during the Joint Committee Session with Emanuel Ze Meka (ITTO), Astrid Bergquist (Sweden), Chris Ellis (US), A.S.K. Boachie-Dapaah (Ghana), Yeo-Chang Youn (Republic of Korea) and Amha Bin Buang (ITTO)

REPORT OF THE EXPERT PANEL ON THE TECHNICAL APPRAISAL OF PROJECT PROPOSALS:


Ricardo Umali, Chair of the Expert Panel on the Technical Appraisal of Project Proposals, presented the report of the Expert Panel’s twenty-eighth session (CEM,CFE,CRF,CFA(XXXV)/1).


BRAZIL commended the Panel and described its efforts to screen projects, but said there are some inconsistencies in the Panel's evaluations. Above photo: Luiz Gasser (Brazil)


The NETHERLANDS said that the project cycle needs to be more transparent and linked to ITTO objectives. Above photo L-R: Frederik Vossenaar, Flip Van Helden, and Marcel Vernnoij.


GUATEMALA endorsed Brazil’s practice of screening projects. Above right: Luis Ernesto Barrera Garavito (Guatemala)


IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF PROJECT WORK:


The ITTO Secretariat described the working group on the effectiveness and efficiency of project work and previous actions taken at ITTC-36. He listed several recommendations of the working group, including the utilization of national clearinghouses, workshops, technical assistance, project guidelines and appraisals. Above photo: Emmanuel Ze Meka (ITTO)


Chris Ellis (US), CFA Chair, noted that an open informal focus group would convene to formulate a draft Council decision concerning project cycle improvements.


CEM-CFI:


Above photo L-R: The dais during the session on CEM-CFI with Jairo Castanos (ITTO), Paul Vantomme (ITTO), Astrid Bergquist (Sweden), Yeo-Chang Youn (Republic of Korea) and Amha Bin Buang (ITTO).


CRF:


Above photo: Martin Alcade Pineda (Peru) presented on the outcomes of the transboundary conservation and peace project on the borders of Peru and Ecuador. 


Above photo: CRF Chair A.S.K. Boachie-Dapaah (Ghana) with CRF Vice-Chair Jennifer Conje (US)


Links |

ITTO website, with provisional program, documents
for the meeting, and information about the ITTO.
ENB summary from ITTC-36: (HTML, PDF, TEXT).
ENB summary from ITTC-35: (HTML, PDF, TEXT).
ENB summary from ITTA: English (HTML, PDF, TEXT) - French (PDF).
Linkages forests, desertification and land issues page,
including a brief introduction to global forest policy. 
UNFF Secretariat

 
 

Digimarc Digital Watermarking | Get more information on how to digitally watermark images

   


Any irregularities on this page? Please mail the Digital Editor

| Linkages home | Visit IISDnet | Send e-mail to ENB |
© 2004
, IISD. All rights reserved.