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: G. Sanchez-Vigil
Forests can be places of learning about the importance of nature in our lives. Education and training on forest management is also crucial to ensure forest sustainability and productivity into the future.
ITTO:
- Builds human resource capacity and strengthens professional expertise in tropical forestry through its Fellowship Programme.
- Supports projects aimed at strengthening forest-related education institutions.
- Publishes the quarterly newsletter, Tropical Forest Update, to promote understanding on the conservation and sustainable use of tropical forests.
- Raises awareness through lectures in its host country, Japan, of the value of tropical forests. Many ITTO-funded projects in the tropics have also run awareness-raising campaigns.
- Supports events related to forest education, including for children.
- Works with members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests to foster forest education through the creation of a global forest education platform.
Related ITTO contributions for the selected Sustainable Development Goal(s)
(13 results found)
Global timber forum launches action framework for legal and sustainable timber supply chains
No poverty Quality education Gender equality Decent work and economic growth Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The Global Legal and Sustainable Timber Forum (GLSTF) has launched the Action Framework for Promoting Legal and Sustainable Timber Supply Chains to strengthen international collaboration among stakeholders in timber supply chains, promote the sustainable development of the timber industry, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and combating climate change. More
Documentary released on fire prevention in Machu Picchu ahead of global wildland fire conference
Quality education Gender equality Climate action Life on land
Fires are affecting an increasing area of forest worldwide, and the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is not immune. ITTO Fellow Talía Lostaunau examines efforts to prevent fire near this stunning archaeological site in a new documentary, released today, ahead of a workshop hosted by ITTO at next week’s 8th International Wildland Fire Conference in Porto, Portugal. More
New report calls for better forest education to safeguard natural resources
Quality education Gender equality Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Education is essential for safeguarding natural resources, including forests. This is one of the key messages of a new and comprehensive Global Assessment of Forest Education, a joint report released at the 26th Session of the Committee on Forestry by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and ITTO. 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
Celebrating International Youth Day—and working to ensure the future of tropical forests
Quality education Gender equality Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
This year’s theme of International Youth Day, Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages, stresses the importance of leveraging the potential of all generations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Young people are the future custodians of tropical forests; ITTO is investing in them in diverse ways, including through its Fellowship Programme. More
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
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 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
Forest education needs strengthening to meet global challenges—survey
Quality education Climate action Life on land
Forest education at all levels—from primary schools to universities—is insufficient in many countries, according to the results of a global survey led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), ITTO and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), with the support of other international and regional partners. More
ITTO launches e-course on legal, sustainable timber supply chains
Quality education Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Life on land
A free online learning course launched by ITTO as part of a global effort to improve forest education will assist entrepreneurs, forestry professionals, government officials and students in understanding legal and sustainable timber supply chains, thereby supporting businesses to meet market requirements for legality and sustainability and improve their forest practices. More
International Conference on Forest Education kicks off
Quality education Climate action Life on land
The International Conference on Forest Education held in June 2021 is a three-day event to shine a light on the important role forest education plays in maximizing the contributions of forests and trees to the Sustainable Development Goals and in overcoming the growing disconnection between people, nature and forests. More
Advancing forestry education in the Congo Basin
Quality education Gender equality Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Mastering forestry to meet the needs of sustainable development is an increasingly complex task. An ITTO study in the Congo Basin concluded there was insufficient human capacity there to ensure sustainable forestry. A subregional ITTO project encompassing seven education institutions in five countries sought to address this and contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 4 ("quality education"). More
When micro businesses have macro impact
No poverty Quality education Gender equality Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Sustainable cities and communities Responsible consumption and production
In many countries, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the largest collective source of employment, and they are vital for national economies. In Guatemala, it is a government priority to support MSMEs and, as part of this, an ITTO project known as the Forest MSME Management Project encouraged informal businesses to become part of the country’s formal economy. More