Turning policy into action for sustainable forest and wood use: ITTO workshop on project formulation

The participants and the facilitators participants at a recent ITTO workshop on project development. Photo: Paula Sarigumba/ITTO

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) welcomed 45 participants from five ITTO producer countries at a recent workshop on project development, honing skills that will enable them to turn policies into on-the-ground action for the conservation and sustainable use of tropical forests and timber.

The workshop, which was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) of the Government of Japan, took place from 3 to 6 February in Pattaya, Thailand, co-organized by the ITTO and the Kasetsart University Faculty of Forestry. ITTO staged a similar workshop in Thailand in 2009.

ITTO supports projects and capacity building in member countries to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests and the sustainable use and trade of timber and timber products as a nature-based solution to the climate crisis and a tool for members to strengthen their domestic wood industries and markets.

To date, ITTO has funded more than 1,200 projects and activities valued at USD 430 million. These projects cover a wide spectrum of topics and enhance tropical countries' capacity to sustainably manage their forest resources. ITTO projects are acknowledged as valuable vehicles for developing national policy, demonstrating good practice, building capacity and human resources, and conducting research.

The workshop in Pattaya was aimed at staff of member country organizations responsible for formulating project proposal submissions to ITTO. During the four-day event, the participants from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Viet Nam and Thailand were familiarized with ITTO guidance on project formulation and had the opportunity to discuss and elaborate on ideas for potential project topics.

“It is key for ITTO’s work to support our member countries at each step of the way - conceptualize, formulate, develop, and ultimately deliver the projects that they envision in their respective countries”, says ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru. “With our strong mandate on technical assistance, ITTO guides its members to formulate projects that are technically sound, strategic, impactful, replicable, and address local realities” she added.

In particular, the workshop set out to help the participants gain a better understanding of the ITTO Manual for Project Formulation and other relevant ITTO manuals and guidance by presenting and practicing methods and instruments of project planning and evaluation. It also assisted them in developing the skills needed to correctly apply their newly gained knowledge by analyzing and discussing the presented know-how, methods, and instruments, as well as using what they had drawn from their own experience.

For ITTO, sustainable forest management (SFM) is the key to attaining goals, including meeting the need for goods and environmental services from forests; conserving forest soils, water, and carbon stocks; conserving biodiversity; maintaining forests' resilience and capacity for renewal, including carbon sequestration and storage; supporting the food security, cultural, and livelihood needs of forest-dependent communities; and ensuring the equitable sharing of responsibilities in forest management and of the benefits arising from forest use.

ITTO guidance on project formulation is available at: www.itto.int/projects/formulation_manuals/