Sustainable Development Goals
Main SDG introduction
World leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a historic UN conference in September 2015. The SDGs call for action by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet, thereby recognizing that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies to build economic growth, address social needs, tackle climate change and ensure environmental sustainability.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the sustainable management of productive forests in the tropics, and a sustainable tropical timber trade, can help in meeting future wood demand and achieving the SDGs. ITTO is empowered to promote the expansion of international tropical timber trade from legal and sustainable sources. It is perfectly placed, therefore, to assist countries in their efforts towards all the SDGs, especially SDG 1 (“No poverty”), SDG 12 (“Responsible consumption and production”), SDG 13 (“Climate action”) and SDG 15 (“Life on land”). Some of the ways it is doing this are outlined below.
Select one or multiple SDGs below to see ITTO’s contributions towards achieving them.
Most recent ITTO contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals
ITTO backs call to “restore the planet” in support of Mother Earth
No poverty Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
Forest landscape restoration is essential for ensuring that tropical forests can perform their crucial planetary roles, said ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru to mark International Mother Earth Day, which celebrates the concept of Mother Earth and the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet. More
Sustainable tropical wood can contribute to decarbonize societies, Executive Director tells policy dialogue
Affordable and clean energy Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru asserted at an international event that there are several opportunities to continue working with countries to further develop sustainable wood supply chains in the tropics as means for achieving society-wide carbon neutrality. More
ITTO, FAO, Government of Mexico collaborate to help build statistics capacity in Mesoamerica
Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Partnerships for the goals
A workshop convened by ITTO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Mexico’s National Forestry Agency (CONAFOR) this week has helped increase capacity in forest product statistics and reporting in five countries in Mesoamerica. More
Invest more in women to accelerate progress on sustainable forestry, says ITTO Executive Director
Gender equality Industry, innovation and infrastructure Life on land
Despite increasing recognition of the vital role of women in sustainable forestry, more investment is needed in the sector to fully realize their potential and to achieve gender equality, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru said on International Women’s Day. More
ITTO promotes use of criteria and indicators in Trinidad and Tobago
Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Nearly 30 participants attended an ITTO-sponsored national training workshop on criteria and indicators for sustainable tropical forest management (C&I), held last week in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The aim was to provide forest managers with insights into the C&I to assist in monitoring, assessing and reporting on forests and ensuring their sustainable management. More
ITTO Executive Director lauds strong partnership with CITES on World Wildlife Day
Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Life on land Partnerships for the goals
On the occasion of World Wildlife Day 2024, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru asserted the critical need for the conservation of threatened tropical tree species and highlighted the strong collaborative partnership between ITTO and CITES in her message to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). More
ITTO–CITES cooperation on tree species listings should continue, says Executive Director
Responsible production and consumption Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Cooperation between ITTO and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has greatly assisted countries in implementing CITES listings of tropical tree species and should be continued, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru said during the 6th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly. More
ITTO and UN Convention to Combat Desertification strengthen cooperation on tropical forests
No poverty Decent work and economic growth Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The overall objective of the new MOU is to support ITTO member countries and Country Parties to the UNCCD in restoring and maintaining tropical forest landscapes while promoting the sustainable production of timber and other products and ecosystem services. More
First steering committee meeting held for collaborative SFM projects in Sarawak’s Upper Baram forest
No poverty Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The first meeting of the project steering committee (PSC) for two ITTO projects to promote collaborative forest management and community empowerment in the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) in Sarawak, Malaysia, was held on 25 September 2023 in the Sarawak town of Miri. The two projects encompass an area of 283 500 hectares in the northeast of the state. More
ITTO releases latest report on world timber situation, showing surge in furniture exports
Responsible production and consumption Life on land
A major new analysis of global timber sector trends has found that exports by ITTO producer countries of secondary processed wood products have soared, reaching a value of USD 36.5 billion in 2022, up by nearly 40% compared with 2020 (USD 26 billion). A large part of this trade (USD 12 billion) comprised wooden furniture exported from Viet Nam to the United States of America. More
More investment in green tourism needed to support sustainable tropical forest management
No poverty Gender equality Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Life on land
Marking World Tourism Day, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru has called for more investment in ecotourism in tropical forests as a means for increasing incomes for local people and thereby supporting conservation and sustainable forest management and use. More
Making the link between sustainable forest management and cleaner air
No poverty Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
Tropical forests are known as nature’s purifiers, but the increasing incidence of forest wildfire and other stressors worldwide is putting this reputation at risk. In marking the International Day of Clean for Blue Skies, we highlight the importance of sustainable forest management in the tropics for maintaining clean air. More
ITTO encourages sustainable wood use at meeting of APEC Expert Group
Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
ITTO updated the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Expert Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT) on its work to promote sustainable wood use in domestic markets of member economies at the 24th plenary meeting of APEC EGILAT in late July. More
New video shows how sustainable forestry works
Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
A one-minute animation produced as part of an ITTO project in Brazil provides a simple explanation of forest management and how it is helping make timber production more sustainable in the Amazon. “Everyone wins from the sustainable use of forests,” says the video. More
Side-event hosted by ITTO and Teaknet examines challenges and opportunities for boosting teak value
Affordable and clean energy Decent work and economic growth Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
A side-event convened jointly by ITTO and the International Teak Information Network (Teaknet) during the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Forest Products Conference in Cairns, Australia, on 4–8 June 2023, explored means for boosting the value of teakwood products. More
Small is beautiful—and powerful—but MSMEs need support
Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are essential forest actors in most tropical countries, providing the bulk of employment in the sector and supplying millions of people with forest products, but they need more support to maximize their potential for sustainable development, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru said today. More
We must do more to enable women in forestry and land restoration
Gender equality Climate action Life on land
Speaking on World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru said that women are often most affected by degraded landscapes but have least control over land management and/or ownership in some societies, yet are effective agents for restoration and forest management and must be empowered. More
ITTO project releases app for calculating timber volumes in products using smartphones
Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
Software for smartphones developed by Guatemala’s National Forest Institute (INAB) under an ITTO project can be used to calculate log volumes requiring only photographs and a few simple measurements. The app also enables the scaling of logs for products such as sawnwood, rectangular boards, round billets, sawdust, chips, fuelwood, wood pieces and charcoal. More
ITTO fire guidelines and projects featured at 8th International Wildland Fire Conference
Good health and well-being Climate action Life on land
Three ITTO projects on fire prevention and response, and the Organization’s guidelines on fire management in tropical forests, were the focus of a workshop held as part of the 8th International Wildland Fire Conference in Porto, Portugal, last week. The conference also adopted the Landscape Fire Governance Framework to promote collaboration on fire management. More
International Biodiversity Day—ITTO project in Sumatran biosphere reserve contributes to Global Biodiversity Framework
No poverty Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The first steering committee meeting has been held for an ITTO project designed to promote sustainable landscape management in the Giam Siak Kecil-Buit Batu Biosphere Reserve, a 705 000-ha conservation and sustainable use area on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The meeting took place ahead of International Biodiversity Day, being celebrated today. More