On Saturday, ITTC-53 concluded its final day of work. The Council heard the report of the Credentials Committee, heard pledges to the Special Account and the Bali Partnership Fund, and reviewed the session reports of the Committees on Economics, Statistics and Markets and Forest Industry (CEM-CFI), Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF), and Finance and Administration (CFA). The Council elected Zhang Zhongtian (China) as Chair and John Leigh (Peru) as Vice-Chair of ITTC-54. to be held in November 2018 in Yokohama, Japan, and agreed to hold ITTC-55 in Lomé, Togo.

Delegates adopted decisions on: projects, pre-projects and activities; the ITTO Biennial Work Programme for the years 2018-2019; the Administrative Budget for the 2018-2019 Biennium; the extension of the ITTO Strategic Action Plan 2013-2018; amendment of Rules of Procedure and financial rules and rules relating to ITTO projects; ITTO Policy Guidelines on Gender Equality and Empowering Women; reconfirmation of further measures regarding the financial impairment; application of Article 30 of ITTA, 2006 (relief from obligations) to the Government of the Central African Republic; improving ITTO's financing infrastructure and fundraising strategies; and rotation in the framework of the selection of the ITTO Executive Director.

Chair Agyarko gaveled the meeting to a close at 12:17 pm.

On Friday, ITTC-53 entered its fifth day of work in Lima, Peru. In the morning, the Council started by hearing the progress report on the ITTO Fellowship Programme and the report by the Chair of the Fellowship Selection Panel on new fellowships to be awarded. The Council then discussed the ITTO-Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) programme to improve country capacity to implement CITES listings of tropical timber species, and heard reports on collaboration with ITTO from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). The plenary then discussed the issue of rotation in the selection of the Executive Director, where the Consumers called for a year of deliberation in capitals before reaching a decision at ITTC-54 on the rotation issue. Council decided to reconvene the contact group on rotation to negotiate a draft decision for Council, using the Consumer proposal as a starting point.

The contact group met during lunch. Meanwhile, a side event organized by the Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) was held, “Livelihoods and trade of timber and non-timber forest products for local communities.”

In the afternoon the Committees on Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF) and Finance and Administration (CFA) met in parallel. CRF finalized its report to the Council. CFA reviewed a draft decision to amend the rules of procedure and financial rules relating to transparency of CFA documentation, discussed the administrative budget for the Biennial Work Programme 2018-2019, and reviewed the CFA report to the Council. The Committee on Economics, Statistics and Markets and the Committee on Forest Industry (CEM-CFI) met afterward to review their report to the Council.

In the evening the Chairman's Open-Ended Drafting Group met to continue work preparing draft decisions for Council consideration on Saturday.

The fifty-third session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-53) continued its deliberations in Lima, Peru, on 30 November 2017. In the morning, the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF) met in parallel with the Committee on Economics, Statistics and Markets and the Committee on Forest Industry (CEM-CFI). The CRF reviewed projects and pre-projects under implementation or awaiting financing. CEM-CFI continued discussion on market-associated activities in the proposed Biennial Work Programme (BWP) for 2018-2019 and heard a presentation by Independent Market Monitoring (IMM) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) certified timber trade data and statistics in the EU with Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) countries. The CEM and CFI then discussed new, ongoing and completed projects and pre-projects and considered recommendations for the Committees to make to Council.

During the lunch period the contact group met to discuss the issue of rotation in the selection of the ITTO Executive Director. A side event organized by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was held on "national fiscal incentives and public procurement policies to promote sustainable forest management in tropical forests."

In the afternoon the Committee on Finance and Administration (CFA) met to continue discussions on increasing transparency of ITTO documentation and increasing the Special Reserve Fund, as well as a draft decision regarding the request from the Central African Republic for relief of obligations. After the CFA session, the Panel on Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund met, followed by the Chairman's Open-Ended Drafting Group.

The fifty-third session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-53) continued its deliberations in Lima, Peru on 29 November 2017. In the morning, delegates met in the Council to discuss the issue of rotation in the selection of the Executive Director. A small contact group was created to discuss proposals in greater detail that will report back to plenary on Friday.

In the afternoon, delegates convened a Joint Committee Session to examine the Report of the Expert Panel for Technical Appraisal of Project Proposals, followed by the Annual Market Discussion for 2017 under the theme "Sharing Experiences on Promoting Investment in Tropical Timber Industries and Tropical Forestry."

After the Joint Committee Session, the Committee on Finance and Administration (CFA) met in parallel with the Committee on Economics, Statistics and Markets and the Committee on Forest Industry (CEM-CFI). CFA discussed the appointment of the auditor, the request from Central African Republic for relief of obligation, increasing transparency of ITTO documentation and increasing the Special Reserve Fund. CEM-CFI continued discussions on policy work and began consideration of the draft 2018-2019 Biennial Work Programme (BWP) for the committee. The Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF) met afterward, discussing a completed project and the 2018-2019 BWP for the committee.

In the evening, delegates attended a reception co-hosted by ITTC-53 Chair Tabi Agyarko and ITTO Executive Director Gerhard Dieterle.

The fifty-third session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) entered its second day of discussions in Lima, Peru.

In the morning, the Council plenary heard reports on the implementation of the current Biennial Work Programme (BWP) and communications and outreach work, and a presentation of the proposed BWP for 2018-2019. The Council also discussed the draft Guidelines for Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women (GEEW) and considered a report by the Ad Hoc Working Group and the Working Group to Consider Rotation in the Framework of the Selection of the Executive Director.

In the afternoon, the Committees on Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF) and Finance and Administration (CFA) met in parallel. The CRF discussed new projects and pre-projects and reviewed completed projects, as well as policy work on: the dissemination and application of the ITTO Voluntary Guidelines for the Sustainable Management of Natural Tropical Forests; cooperation and collaboration between ITTO and African member countries on criteria and indicators; fire prevention and management in tropical timber-producing forests; the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems; implementation of guidelines for the management of secondary tropical forests; and developments in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regarding forests and their potential implications for tropical forests and the world tropical timber economy. The CFA discussed: the draft Biennial Administrative Budget for 2018 and 2019; the status of the Administrative Account, the Special Account, and the Bali Partnership Fund; and the Auditor's Report.

The parallel sessions were followed by the joint meeting of the Committee on Economics, Statistics and Markets and the Committee on Forest Industry (CEM-CFI), which discussed completed projects, as well as the status of policy work on: market access; forest and timber certification; and strengthening the participation of the private sector in ITTO work.

In the evening, delegates attended a cultural event hosted by the Government of Peru.

The fifty-third session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-53), and the Associated Sessions of the four Committees (Finance and Administration; Economics, Statistics and Markets; Forest Industry; and Reforestation and Forest Management) opened on Monday, 27 November 2017 in Lima, Peru. The opening ceremony included an address by Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard, President of Peru, and welcoming remarks by Pablo Benjamin Quijandría Salmón, Vice Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Peru, on behalf of Minister José Manuel Hernández Calderón, ITTC-53 Chair Tabi Agyarko (Ghana), and International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Executive Director Gerhard Dieterle.

After Chair Agyarko officially opened ITTC-53, the Council was addressed by Benito Owusu-Bio, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana, John Leigh, Executive Director of Peru's National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), Manoel Sobral Filho, Director of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat, and Eva Müller, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Chair, Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).

After lunch and the caucus sessions for Producers and Consumers, the Council addressed organizational matters, including the ascertainment of quorum for the meeting, redistribution of votes, adoption of the meeting's agenda, and approval of the admission of observers. Executive Director Dieterle then delivered a statement on the Secretariat's implementation of ITTC-52 decisions on impairment of funds and on the future of the ITTO.

In the evening delegates attended a reception hosted by the Government of Peru.