ITTO Executive Director strengthens forest cooperation during official visit to Mexico

ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru met with senior officials from Mexico’s federal environment sector at the headquarters of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). © Ramon Carrillo/ITTO

Ms Sheam Satkuru, Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), undertook an official mission to Mexico to enhance technical collaboration, assess outcomes of ITTO projects, and explore additional areas of cooperation aimed at strengthening the sustainable management and use of tropical forests.

During her mission, Ms Satkuru met with senior officials from Mexico’s federal environment sector at the headquarters of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). The meeting brought together the head of the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), Mr Sergio Graf Montero, as well as representatives from the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), the International Affairs Coordinating Unit of SEMARNAT, and the General Directorate of Climate Action Policy (DGPAC).

Discussions focused on key initiatives supported by ITTO in Mexico, particularly those aimed at expanding technical cooperation and strengthening national capacities for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. Contributions to the KMGBF and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation were also discussed, as was CITES listings of Latin American species. 

Ms Satkuru commended Mexico’s active engagement as an ITTO member country and underscored the importance of consolidating efforts to strengthen sustainable forest management and the legal and sustainable trade of forest products, capacity development in all the above areas and ecosystem restoration.

“Mexico has been a long-standing and valued member of ITTO,” said Ms Satkuru. Together, we can continue to upscale collaborative actions that enhance forest governance, empower local communities, and safeguard biodiversity for future generations while ensuring the inclusion of indigenous peoples and local communities.”

Since 2006, CONAFOR has served as ITTO’s national focal point, facilitating the country’s participation in ITTO programmes and initiatives that promote the conservation, sustainable management, and legal trade of tropical timber.

Mexico’s federal environment authorities reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening forest ecosystem management, fostering responsible value chains, and conserving the country’s rich biodiversity. Ms Satkuru further travelled to two sites as part of an ITTO project to appreciate the elements and efforts of documenting traditional knowledge and medicinal plants on the Yucatan Peninsular of Mexico.