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
Forests and trees in both natural forests and agroforestry systems play crucial roles in the provision of food by providing ecosystem services—such as freshwater supply, pollination and biodiversity conservation—to support agriculture and by producing nutritious food products. For many local people, forests act as storehouses of food that are accessible during periods of low agricultural production.
ITTO projects:
ITTO projects:
- Encourage the adoption of agroforestry systems in the margins of natural and planted forests to produce foods and fibre for sale and direct consumption.
- Assist local communities to sustainably manage their natural forests, which are important sources of additional nutrition for families.
- Help empower women to build capacity and develop forest-based enterprises, thereby boosting health and nutrition outcomes for families.
Related ITTO contributions for the selected Sustainable Development Goal(s)
(8 results found)
Soka Gakkai makes video on ITTO initiative to restore landscapes in Togo by empowering women
Zero hunger Gender equality Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Soka Gakkai, a community-driven global Buddhist organization, has released a video of a field visit to an ITTO initiative in Togo’s Blitta and Lacs prefectures that has increased the financial independence of local women and enabled them to restore degraded landscapes, adopt agroforestry practices and increase food security for their families. More
New policy brief launched on evaluation of ITTO projects in Africa
No poverty Zero hunger Quality education Gender equality Clean water and sanitation Decent work and economic growth Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
An evaluation of ten ITTO projects in West and Central Africa established that the projects had “important positive impacts on forests, forest management and local communities” in the countries in which they were implemented, reports a policy brief published by ITTO this week. 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
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
Non-timber forest products can increase viability of sustainable forestry, says new study
Zero hunger Responsible production and consumption Life on land
Integrating non-timber forest products such as nuts, fruits, latex and rattan into the management of natural tropical timber production forests could be an important step towards economically viable sustainable forest management, according to a report released today by ITTO and the Precious Forests Foundation. More
Recovering from civil war and restoring forests in Côte d’Ivoire
No poverty Zero hunger Reduced inequalities Life on land Peace, justice and strong institutions
In the wake of a civil war, Côte d’Ivoire is seeking to bring people together, including through the restoration of degraded forests. An ITTO project there helped match restoration work in the gazetted forests of Scio and Duekoue with the humanitarian needs of internally displaced people, refugees and local people. More
Peru’s northern mangrove corridor
No poverty Zero hunger Clean water and sanitation Life below water
Peru’s Northwest–Amotapes–Manglares Biosphere Reserve provides important resources and ecosystem services for around 130 000 inhabitants living in coastal areas of Piura Province. It is under threat, however, from unsustainable practices and a lack of sufficient resources to support its conservation. More
Forest restoration, sustainable charcoal and empowered women in Côte d’Ivoire
No poverty Zero hunger Gender equality Affordable and clean energy Decent work and economic growth Reduced inequalities Responsible consumption and production Climate action Life on land
A small grant from ITTO in 2009 provided the stimulus for MALEBI, a women’s association in Côte d’Ivoire, to improve charcoal production using efficient, eco-friendly techniques, in the process increasing the standard of living in the local community and raising awareness of the importance of forest conservation. More