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.
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Photo: R. Carrillo/ITTO
ITTO promotes sustainable tropical forest management by:
- Building sustainable forest management capacity in tropical countries through the implementation of field projects.
- Providing a forum for policy dialogue on conserving and sustainably managing, using and trading tropical forest resources.
- Developing policy guidelines on sustainable forest management, forest conservation and the restoration of degraded tropical forests for uptake by countries.
- Working with partners in government, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, civil society and the private sector to improve forest management, conserve biodiversity and improve local livelihoods.
- Strengthening expertise in tropical forestry through its Fellowship Programme, which has enabled about 1400 young forestry professionals to increase their skills.
- Jointly implementing projects with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to conserve biodiversity in productive forests.
Related ITTO contributions for the selected Sustainable Development Goal(s)
(74 results found)
New training modules available on legal and sustainable timber supply chains in Congo Basin
Quality education Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
ITTO has released four training modules on legal and sustainable tropical timber supply chains in the Congo Basin aimed at expanding market access for tropical timber produced in the subregion and increasing the contributions of the sector to sustainable development, climate-change mitigation and other regional objectives. More
Sustainable forestry can provide vital nature-based solutions to crises
No poverty Zero hunger Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Sustainable forestry can provide cost-effective solutions to the triple global crises on climate, biodiversity loss and pollution, all of which have been aggravated by recent armed conflicts, according to speakers at a side-event held earlier this month that fed into the 2022 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. More
Indonesia launches new app on forest fire with ITTO support
Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
A new app developed with ITTO assistance has been launched in Indonesia to assist fire brigades in preventing and suppressing wildfires. Forest wildfire is a major threat to human safety, infrastructure and ecosystems in many parts of Indonesia, and the app will assist in its control by increasing the availability of real-time information for firefighters. More
Celebrating the International Day of the Tropics—the critical importance of tropical forests
No poverty Quality education Decent work and economic growth Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The tropics are home to extraordinary forests with the largest and most complex biological and cultural diversity while functioning as huge carbon stores. In celebration of the International Day of the Tropics, we describe some of ITTO’s work in three vital and vast tropical forest ecosystems—the Amazon, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia. More
ITTO, CITES hold workshop to discuss agarwood report
Responsible production and consumption Life on land Partnerships for the goals
ITTO and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convened a workshop earlier this month to review a draft report on agarwood, a highly valuable fragrant product, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure that trade in the wood does not harm the conservation of agarwood species. More
Fighting back against desertification and drought
No poverty Climate action Life on land
Women in Togo and communities in Papua New Guinea and Peru are restoring degraded drylands and helping drought-proof communities with assistance from ITTO. We highlight this work to promote the important messages of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. More
Peru’s private sector proposes forest-sector reforms
No poverty Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Peru’s Forestry Chamber has released a new publication, developed with ITTO support, that takes stock of recent developments in the country’s legal framework and makes proposals to modernize the forest sector and increase its capacity to meet current and future challenges. More
Singing from the treetops on World Environment Day—local people can create renewable resources
No poverty Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
An ITTO project in Sulawesi, Indonesia, has increased awareness among farmers of the benefits of a sustainable wood supply using planted native trees. It’s a functioning example of ITTO’s approach to tropical forest conservation and sustainable use aimed at producing positive outcomes for people and the environment, presented here to celebrate World Environment Day. More
Recognizing the importance of sustainable tropical forestry on International Day for Biological Diversity
Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Biodiversity is under threat, with a million species facing extinction. On the International Day for Biological Diversity, it has never been more urgent to enhance the essential role of sustainable forest management (SFM) in safeguarding our precious biota. Read on to learn more about the role ITTO is playing in this essential endeavour in the tropics. More
Joint work between ITTO and Convention on Biological Diversity lauded
Life on land
This policy brief reports on an independent review of a joint initiative between ITTO and the Convention on Biological Diversity, which began in 2011. The review found that, despite modest budgets, the initiative’s 16 projects achieved “extraordinary success” in improving livelihoods and conserving biodiversity. A new phase of the initiative is planned between the two organizations. More
ITTO Executive Director calls for positive messaging on timber
No poverty Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru has suggested that international organizations, governments and other stakeholders jointly promote the message that “harvesting timber sustainably is not deforestation” to overcome public misconceptions about the role of the timber trade in tropical deforestation. More
Improved tropical forest fire management essential for mitigating climate change
Climate action Life on land
Awareness-raising, early-warning systems and the involvement of local stakeholders are all necessary elements of tropical forest fire management and the fight against climate change, according to participants at an event co-hosted by ITTO at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. More
ITTO and IUFRO release learning modules to encourage forest landscape restoration
Quality education Sustainable cities and communities Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
ITTO and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) have released a free series of learning modules for high-school and university students to guide further understanding on forest landscape restoration (FLR). More
Togolese women are becoming restoration leaders, with ITTO and Soka Gakkai support
No poverty Zero hunger Gender equality Decent work and economic growth Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
An ITTO project financed by Soka Gakkai* to support forest landscape restoration is changing the lives of women in two prefectures in Togo as they benefit from improved agroforestry practices, according to a report in Japan’s Seikyo newspaper. More
More outreach needed for uptake of forest landscape restoration in South America—webinar
No poverty Good health and well-being Climate action Life on land
Outreach and strategies for income diversification and monitoring are crucial for fostering landscape restoration in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to participants at a recent webinar co-hosted by ITTO and the Tropical Agricultural Centre for Research and Education (CATIE). More
African forest experts endorse “new beginning” for SFM monitoring
Climate action Life on land
A workshop involving about 30 African forestry experts has validated a draft new version of the ITTO criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of African tropical forests, which, according to participants in a statement, marks a new beginning for the monitoring of sustainable forest management (SFM) in Africa. More
Workshop explores key elements of successful forest landscape restoration in Asia-Pacific
No poverty Good health and well-being Climate action Life on land
Creating sustainable livelihood opportunities and obtaining the buy-in of local people through inclusive approaches are key for successful forest landscape restoration, according to participants at a virtual workshop for the Asia-Pacific region co-convened by ITTO and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO). More
Local livelihoods the key to forest landscape restoration in Central America and Mexico—webinar
No poverty Good health and well-being Climate action Life on land
Forest landscape restoration is a multifaceted endeavour that must improve local livelihoods to succeed, according to participants at webinar for Central America and Mexico co-hosted by ITTO and the Tropical Agricultural Centre for Research and Education (CATIE) in August 2021. More
Demand for wood to surge in India by 2030—new report
Decent work and economic growth Responsible production and consumption Life on land
There will be a substantial increase in wood consumption in India by 2030, exacerbating an existing shortfall between wood production and demand and increasing the country’s reliance on wood imports, according to an ITTO report that analyzes India’s timber market dynamics to 2030. More
Webinar explores lessons on fire management in Indonesia
Climate action Life on land
Indonesia’s devastating forest fires in 1997/98 and 2015 burnt 9.7 million and 2.6 million hectares, respectively. Since then, however, the country has reduced fire occurrence, with fewer than 300 000 ha affected in 2020. A recent webinar held as part of an ITTO project explored Indonesia’s learnings—including the importance of involving communities in fire prevention. More