European Union

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. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from the 53rd Session of the International Tropical Timber Council and Associated Sessions of the Committees. The summary and analysis is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Ángeles Estrada For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Council Session Stephanie Caswell, ITTO consultant Manoel Sobral Filho, Director, UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) Gerhard Breulmann, ITTO Secretariat Cécile Ndjebet, Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) Ramón Carrillo, ITTO Secretariat Stephanie Caswell, ITTO consultant, Gerhard Dieterle, ITTO Executive Director, Tabi Agyarko (Ghana), Chair of ITTC-53, and Zhang Zhongtian (China), Vice-Chair of ITTC-53 Emmanuelle Maire, EU Mad Zaidi Mohamed Karli, Malaysia Participants during Council Session Catherine Karr-Colque, US Victoire Eheth, Cameroon Anna Tyler, New Zealand Jorge Malleux Orjeda, Peru Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF) L-R: Hwan Ok-Ma, ITTO Secretariat; Marjukka Mähönen, CRF Chair; Dambis Kaip (Papua New Guinea), CRF Vice-Chair; and Polycarpe Masupa Kambale, ITTO Secretariat Polycarpe Masupa Kambale, ITTO Secretariat Marjukka Mähönen, CRF Chair Hiroyuki Nishiura, Japan Jean-Baptiste Constant Yapo, Côte d’Ivoire Dambis Kaip (Papua New Guinea), Marjukka Mähönen, CRF Chair, and Polycarpe Masupa Kambale, ITTO Secretariat Achille Orphée Lokossou, Benin Hwan Ok-Ma, ITTO Secretariat Committee on Finance and Administration (CFA) Luke Thompson (US), CFA Vice-Chair, Mad Zaidi Mohamed Karli (Malaysia), CFA Chair, Simon Kawaguchi, ITTO Secretariat, Gerhard Breulmann, ITTO Secretariat, and Maiko Suzuki, ITTO Secretariat Rob Busink, the Netherlands Simon Kawaguchi, ITTO Secretariat Gerhard Breulmann, ITTO Secretariat Mad Zaidi Mohd Karli (Malaysia), CFA Chair Luke Thompson (US), CFA Vice-Chair, and Mad Zaidi Mohamed Karli (Malaysia), CFA Chair Committee on Economics, Statistics and Markets and the Committee on Forest Industry (CEM-CFI) Tetra Yanuariadi, ITTO Secretariat; Achille Orphée Lokossou (Benin), CFI Chair; Jorge Malleux Orjeda (Peru), CEM Chair; Björn Merkell (Sweden), CEM Vice-Chair; Steven Johnson, ITTO Secretariat; and Li Chiang, ITTO Secretariat Around the Venue        

On Monday, John Scanlon, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), welcomed participants to Geneva for the 69th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC), likening the gathering to a “mini-CoP.” He highlighted a recent UN General Assembly Resolution on tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife and called for increased efforts to put trade in CITES-listed timber on a legal and sustainable footing. He stressed the SC’s “supportive and non-adversarial” approach to CITES compliance matters. SC Chair Carolina Caceres (Canada) noted the packed agenda at SC69 and urged participants to summon a “spirit of collaboration” in order to complete the work required before SC70 and the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP18). The SC then considered administrative, financial and compliance issues, including on introduction from the sea of specimens from the North Pacific population of the sei whale. Switzerland announced it would provide 1 million Swiss Francs to the CITES Secretariat each year, starting in 2019, pending approval by its parliament for the budget increase. Sri Lanka announced the dates for CITES CoP18 in Sri Lanka (May 22 - June 3 2019). IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, and a summary and analysis report from the 69th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee. The summary and analysis is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Morning Plenary View of the dais during the morning plenary Carolina Caceres, Standing Committee (SC) Chair, Canada  John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES Levente Kőrösi, Hungary Craig Hoover, US Christo Janse van Noordwyk, South Africa Teona Karchava, Georgia Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka Simon Nemtzov, Israel Sandeep Bhambra, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Thomas Jemmi, Switzerland Claudia Sobrevila, speaking on behalf of the World Bank (WB), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Hesiquio Benítez Díaz, Mexico Øystein Størkersen, Norway Wahito Yamada, Japan Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during afternoon plenary João Loureiro, Portugal Rod Hay, New Zealand Staci McLennan, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Abba Sonko, Senegal Ana Silvia Morales, Guatemala Jorge Rodríguez Romero, EU Patrick Omondi, Kenya Osakuade Michael, Nigeria Daven Joseph, Antigua and Barbuda Ali Laouel Abbagana, Niger Ilse Kiessling, Australia Zhang Yue, China Sue Fisher, Animal Welfare Institute Eugène Lapointe, IWMC World Conservation Trust Evening Reception Hosted by the EU Delegates gather for the evening reception hosted by the EU Jorge Rodríguez Romero, EU (right), welcomes delegates to the reception Around the Venue Delegates between sessions Delegates from Lao People’s Democratic Republic and China Delegates from the Russian Federation Delegates from Madagascar confer Delegates from the United Arab Emirats (UAE) Members of the Secretariat before the start of the meeting Benoit Doamba, Burkina Faso; Kofi Adu-Nsiah, Ghana; and Narcisse Lambert Mbarga, Cameroon Media around the venue Delegates speak informally

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. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from the 53rd Session of the International Tropical Timber Council and Associated Sessions of the Committees. The summary and analysis is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Ángeles Estrada For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Ceremony Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard, President of Peru Gerhard Dieterle, ITTO Executive Director Tabi Agyarko, Chair of ITTC-53 Pablo Benjamin Quijandría Salmón, Vice Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Peru, welcomed delegates on behalf of Minister José Manuel Hernández Calderón. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard, President of Peru, addresses ITTC-53. Gerhard Dieterle, ITTO Executive Director, Tabi Agyarko (Ghana), Chair of ITTC-53, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard, President of Peru, and Pablo Benjamin Quijandría Salmón, Vice Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Peru National media prepares for the address of Peru's President to the Council. Benito Owusu Bio, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana John Leigh, Executive Director, National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), Peru Eva Müller, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Chair of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) Manoel Sobral Filho, Director, UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat, addresses the Council.   John Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), addresses the Council by video. A view of of the session of ITTC-53 in Lima, Peru Council Session Gerhard Breulmann, ITTO Secretariat, Gerhard Dieterle, ITTO Executive Director, Tabi Agyarko, Chair of ITTC-53, and Zhang Zhongtian (China), Vice-Chair of ITTC-53 Sheamala Satkuru, Assistant Director, Operations, ITTO Secretariat Zhang Zhongtian (China), Vice-Chair of ITTC-53 Emmanuelle Maire, EU Steven Johnson, ITTO Secretariat Catherine Rivoal, France Alicia Grimes, US A video of stakeholders discussing the role of ITTO Around the Venue    

The High-Level Segment (HLS) of the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention (COP 11) and the twenty-ninth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP 29) convened for its final day on Friday, 24 November 2017, in Montreal, Canada. In the morning, plenary heard statements from heads of delegation, and updates from the Scientific Assessment Panel (SAP), Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) and the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP). Plenary then adjourned for contact groups and informal discussions to continue their deliberations. The HLS plenary reconvened in the early evening to continue hearing statements from heads of delegation. The Preparatory Segment then reconvened for a stocktaking session and to close agenda items where possible. The Contact Groups on the Multilateral Fund (MLF) Replenishment and Energy Efficiency continue to meet in parallel. 10:00 pm - Plenary is scheduled to resume 10:34 pm - MLF Replenishment contact group concludes its work 11:00 pm - Plenary is re-scheduled to resume 11:32 pm - Vienna Convention COP 11/MontrealProtocol MOP 29 final plenary reconvenes 12:34 pm - Vienna Convention COP 11/ Montreal Protocol MOP 29 plenary suspends to allow for consultations on the MLF replenishment draft decision 12:51 am - Vienna Convention COP 11/ Montreal Protocol MOP 29 Preparatory Segment closes 12:54 am - Vienna Convention COP 11/ Montreal Protocol MOP 29 HLS resumes 1:13 am - Vienna Convention COP 11/ Montreal Protocol MOP 29 adopts the decision on the MLF replenishment The meeting closed on Saturday at 1:47 am IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from COP 11/MOP 29. The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Montreal Protocol Issues OEWG 39 Co-Chairs Cynthia Newberg, US, and Cheikh Ndiaye Sylla, Senegal Martin Sirois, Canada Yao Dong, China Patrick McInerney, Australia Delegates from the US, Saudia Arabia and India, in informal consultations on energy efficiency High-Level Segment L-R: Gilbert Bankobeza, Ozone Secretariat; Marc D'Iorio, Canada, COP 11 President; Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat; and Martha Leyva, Ozone Secretariat John Pyle, Co-Chair Scientific Assessment Panel (SAP) Nigel Paul, Co-Chair EEAP Janet Bornman, Co-Chair EEAP L-R: Technology and Economic Assessment Panel Co-Chairs Ashley Woodcock and Bella Maranion; and Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee (MBTOC) Co-Chair Marta Pizano presenting to the High-Level Segment Video presentation on the Montreal Protocol narrated by Sir David Attenborough Paul Krajnik, Chair, Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) Closing Plenary L-R: Allal Mesrar, Jozef Buys, and Alain Wilmart, Belgium Andrei Pilipchuk, Belarus Jamila Mammadova, Azerbaijan John Thompson, US Philippe Chemouny, Canada Hasan Mubarak, Bahrain Delegates from the US, Belarus, EU, Canada and Azerbaijan in informal consultations Yaqoub Almatouq, Kuwait, MOP 29 President with Marc D'Iorio, Canada, COP 11 President, gaveled the meeting to a close at 1:47 am. Statements by Heads of Delegation Judith Garber, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science (OES), Department of State, US Fatoumia Ali Bazi, Director-General, Comoros Agency for International Cooperation (ACCI), Comoros Juan Miguel Cuna, Under-Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines Uktam Utaev, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Ecology, Uzbekistan Kare Chawicha Debessa, State Minister, Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Forest and Climate Change, Ethiopia Tsokhio Adiyasuren, Councellor to the Minister, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Mongolia Xavier Sticker, Ambassador for the Environment, France Hiroyuki Nishiura, Director, Ministry of Foreign of Affairs, Japan Contact Groups Delegates at the contact group on the MLF Replenishment Delegates at the contact group on Data Reporting Delegates at the informal consultation on HFCs not listed in Annex F of the Montreal Protocol COP 11/MOP 29 Snapshots Delegates from Saudi Arabia L-R: Agustin Sanchez, Mexico, Eduardo Ganem, Chief Officer, MLF; and Frank Pinto, Norris Group Photos from the international photo competition on Ozone and Climate organized by the Government of Uzbekistan, Global Environment Facility (GEF); UN Environment, and UN Development Programme (UNDP)

The preparatory segment of the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention (COP 11) and the twenty-ninth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP 29) convened for its third day on Wednesday, 22 November 2017, in Montreal, Canada. In the morning, delegates convened for a short plenary session to hear reports from contact groups and informal consultations, and updates on outstanding agenda items. Plenary was then suspended. The contact group on the Multilateral Fund (MLF) Replenishment, and consultations on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) not listed in Annex F met immediately afterwards. In the afternoon, delegates continued their contact group and informal discussions on the outstanding agenda items, including on data reporting and destruction, and energy efficiency. The Budget Committee also met. Delegates then reconvened in plenary to hear progress on these discussions and, where possible, forward decisions to the High-Level Segment (HLS). In the evening, the contact groups on data reporting and destruction, MLF replenishment, and the informal consultations on safety standards continued. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from COP 11/MOP 29. The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Montreal Protocol Issues L-R: Gilbert Bankobeza, Ozone Secretariat; Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat; Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) 39 Co-Chair Cynthia Newberg, US; OEWG 39 Co-Chair Cheikh Ndiaye Sylla, Senegal; Megumi Seki, Deputy Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat; Martha Leyva, Ozone Secretariat; and Martha Mulumba, Ozone Secretariat Gudi Alkemade, EU Annie Gabriel, Australia L-R: Aristide Taleng Faha and Peter Enoh Ayuk, Cameroon Leslie Smith, Grenada Fritz Nau, Haiti Philippe Chemouny, Canada Odessa Shako, Guyana Ole-Kristian Kvissel, Norway Tom Land, US Xia Yingxian, China Taha Zatari, Saudi Arabia, in a discussion with Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat L-R: Philip Owen, EU; Dong Wenfu, China; and Xia Yingxian, China Delegates from the Republic of Korea consulting Contact Groups Center L-R: Lambert Kuijpers, Co-Chair Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) Replenishment Task Force; Davinder Lail, Co-Chair MLF Replenishment Contact Group, UK; and Sam Pare, Co-Chair MLF Replenishment Contact Group, Burkina Faso Delegates at the MLF Replenishment Contact Group Delegates at the Data Reporting Contact Group Delegates at the Energy Efficiency Contact Group COP 11/MOP 29 Snapshots L-R: Suely Carvalho, TEAP Senior Expert, in conversation with Rajendra Shende, TEAP Senior Expert Meeting of TEAP members Participants from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Canada, setting up a weather balloon used for monitoring the ozone layer Photos from the UNDP photo booth Painting depicting the hole in the ozone layer