ITTC-43 Into the Home Stretch

On Friday, the forty-third session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) met for its last full day in Yokohama, Japan. In the morning, participants convened in a Council session, and listened to a presentation by Soledad Blanco, Director of International Affairs and LIFE, Directorate General Environmental Affairs, European Commission. They met in the afternoon to listen to statements by observers, including Peter Csoka, United Nations Forum on Forests and Barney Chan, ITTO Trade Advisory Group.

The Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management met to finalize a draft decision on the adoption of ITTO/IUCN Guidelines for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Tropical Timber Producing Countries and to adopt their report.

The Committee on Finance and Administration resumed discussion of the draft biennial budget 2008-2009, and adopted a decision on Liberian debt relief. The Committee on Economic Information and Market Intelligence and the Committee on Forest Industry continued discussion on the terms of reference for a study on forest subsidies.

Participants convened throughout the day in an open-ended drafting group led by Vice-Chair Katharina Kuehmayer, Austria, to address unresolved issues in the biennial work programme, such as funding for participation of the Trade Advisory Group, Civil Society Advisory Group and least developed countries. A contact group led by Chair Macchiavello met in the afternoon to discuss the draft decision on the timing of the next ITTC session, specifically whether to hold the next ITTC session in Ghana in May, 2008.

Above: ITTO Executive Director Emmanuel Ze Meka conferred with delegates before the morning Council session.