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
Sustainable tropical forest industries are an important part of the solution to forest degradation, deforestation and poverty by generating revenue from sustainably managed forests and providing employment and income in rural communities.
In many tropical countries, however, small and medium-sized forest enterprises often lack the capacity and enabling environment they need to flourish. They face challenges such as inadequate planning, low profitability, and a lack of research and development, marketing skills and access to finance.
ITTO is helping provide solutions to these and other challenges by supporting countries and enterprises to:
In many tropical countries, however, small and medium-sized forest enterprises often lack the capacity and enabling environment they need to flourish. They face challenges such as inadequate planning, low profitability, and a lack of research and development, marketing skills and access to finance.
ITTO is helping provide solutions to these and other challenges by supporting countries and enterprises to:
- Pursue innovative approaches to the sustainable and inclusive industrialization of the tropical forest sector.
- Improve efficiency in the processing and marketing of forest products.
- Address forest law enforcement, governance and trade.
- Develop legal and sustainable wood supply chains.
- Establish and manage forest plantations.
Related ITTO contributions for the selected Sustainable Development Goal(s)
(21 results found)
Innovation is lifting tropical forestry’s contribution to global sustainable development, says ITTO
Industry, innovation and infrastructure Partnerships for the goals
Innovation in areas ranging from timber tracking to policy development is central to sustainable forestry in the tropics, and for magnifying the sector’s contribution to sustainable development. More
Increased investment is key for stronger linkages between forest science and businesses say experts
Industry, innovation and infrastructure Partnerships for the goals
Business and sciences in forestry need to interact more closely if they are to bring innovative solutions for addressing global challenges and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Further investments are crucial in fostering effective business-science partnerships. More
Capacity building needed urgently in Africa to avoid detrimental impacts of timber trade measures
No poverty Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
ITTO has urged more attention to the need for capacity building and training in the Congo Basin to ensure that the region’s vital forest sector and timber industry will be able to meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and other international trade measures. 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 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
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
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
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
Women-to-women digital learning essential for sustainable forestry
No poverty Gender equality Industry, innovation and infrastructure Climate action Life on land
Celebrating International Women’s Day, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru and ITTO Fellowship awardee and journalist Talía Lostaunau called for stronger commitments to include women in digital and technological advances, hence enabling creative solutions for an equitable future in facing environmental challenges, including by facilitating women-to-women learning. More
First report of Global Timber Index released, launching new era of business information-sharing
Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Partnerships for the goals
Timber production and operations shrunk in November 2022 in Brazil, the Congo, Gabon, Malaysia and Mexico, according to the first Global Timber Index monthly report, released on 8 December 2022. According to the report, factors in the sector’s below-average performance include a global economic contraction, declining international demand, and the rainy season in Africa. 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
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
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
Workshop for West and Central African countries builds capacity in forest product statistics
Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible production and consumption Partnerships for the goals
An online workshop co-hosted by ITTO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has improved understanding of data collection and reporting practices in West and Central Africa and identified needs for technical training in areas such as the use of statistical software, survey design, and data communication. More
Doubling of world resource consumption by 2050 shows need for sustainable tropical timber—new report
Industry, innovation and infrastructure Sustainable cities and communities Climate action Life on land
Global resource use could double by 2050, representing an opportunity for tropical timber producers, according to a study published by ITTO. It forecasts that tropical industrial roundwood production will increase substantially by mid-century but says the sector needs a boost if it is to maximize its contribution to carbon-neutral production. 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
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
Developing the bamboo industry in Indonesia
No poverty Gender equality Industry, innovation and infrastructure Sustainable cities and communities Responsible consumption and production Life on land
There has been a paradigm shift in forest management in Indonesia, in which timber is no longer the main output. Instead, the forest sector is focused increasingly on the production of non-timber forest products as a means to improve the economies of forest communities, regions and the nation. More
Promoting legal and sustainable supply chains
No poverty Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible consumption and production Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
A supply chain comprises the organizations, activities and methods associated with all stages of the business processes involved in planning, sourcing, processing, manufacturing and delivering goods and services. A legal and sustainable supply chain is one that minimizes negative environmental and social impacts. More