ITTO to hold high-level meeting in Ghana

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN, 12 November 2007: The International Tropical Timber Council took a decision at its recently concluded 43rd Session to host a high-level meeting in Accra, Ghana from 9-12 June 2008 to discuss operational modalities of its future work.

The Council is the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). It meets regularly to discuss a wide-ranging agenda aimed at promoting sustainable tropical forest management and the trade of sustainably produced tropical timber.

A major issue facing ITTO is the entry into force of a new governing treaty, the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006 (ITTA 2006). The meeting in Accra will review and clarify the operational issues needed to be considered on the entry into force of the new agreement. These issues include the operation of new thematic programs that will guide the Organization’s work (and are expected to lead to new sources of funding), as well as the impact of the ITTA 2006 on the operation of the Council’s subsidiary committees (which review project work and undertake some policy discussions) and the cycle for submission, review and funding of projects.

Special arrangements have been made to allow projects submitted to ITTO under the current 6-month project cycle to be approved and funded during the Accra meeting, which will not include Council or Committee sessions.

The Accra meeting will also include a one-day conference for ITTO African member countries focusing on regional challenges and identifying specific regional issues and development assistance needs in the context of ITTO.

For more information on the Accra meeting see Decision 6(XLIII). For more information on the 43rd Council session or ITTO in general, go to: www.itto.or.jp

Documents for the Meeting on Operational Modalities of Future Work of the ITTC