Mr. Ze Meka speaks at UNFCCC CoP13 in Bali

Emmanuel Ze Meka, Executive Director, ITTO, stressed that tropical forests cover more than 1 billion ha and therefore offer an enormous potential to contribute to climate change mitigation at the High-level segment of the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC - COP 13/CMP (Bali, Indonesia, 3-14 December 2007).

He highlighted that ITTO and its member countries remain keenly interested and fully committed to advance as quickly as possible towards the full implementation of Sustainable Forest Management in the tropics, including reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, carbon sequestration through restoration, thus contributing to strategies aiming at addressing the issue of climate change.

He further urged more effective and focused international action on tropical forests that will help reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and also mitigate the effects of climate change.