As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to play havoc with the meetings of multilateral environmental and other agreements, the 57th session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-57) and the Associated Sessions of its four Committees gathered virtually to ensure the work of the ITTC’s governing body, the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), could continue.

Perhaps the most pressing task delegates faced was addressing the issue of the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), 2006, which was set to expire on 7 December 2021—a mere four days after the close of ITTC-57. Delegates took up this issue at ITTC-56 in 2020 but requested more time to consult. At ITTC-57, they had the option to extend, renegotiate, or terminate the agreement.

Another key issue for consideration was the election of a new Executive Director (ED). At this meeting, delegates listened to presentations by the candidates and selected the new ED.

Other issues considered throughout the week included:

• the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on ITTO procedures;
• discussion and possible adoption of the ITTO Strategic Action Plan 2022–2026 of the Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 2019–2020;
• the implementation of the ITTO’s new financing architecture, Phase II; and
• the progress report on the implementation of the ITTO Biennial Work Programme 2021-2022.

The ITTO provides a framework for tropical timber producer and consumer countries to discuss and develop policies on issues relating to international trade in, and utilization of, tropical timber and the sustainable management of its resource base.

ITTC-57 met daily from 29 November – 3 December 2021 from 6:00 to 11:00 pm Japan Standard Time (UTC+9). The ENB summary of ITTC-57 is available on this page.