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: Independent Market Monitor
The increased consumption of sustainable wood products can provide many economic, social and environmental benefits. ITTO is addressing responsible consumption and production by, for example, helping:
- Private-sector companies adopt legal and sustainable supply and production systems.
- Build capacities among small and medium-sized enterprises to better understand and conform with the regulations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
- Develop national timber-tracking systems to ensure legality.
- Monitor the implementation of timber legality assurance schemes and the development of forest certification.
- Increase transparency in the tropical timber trade, including through the Tropical Timber Market Report (published every two weeks) and the Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation.
Related ITTO contributions for the selected Sustainable Development Goal(s)
(49 results found)
Forest health and human health closely linked, says ITTO Executive Director
No poverty Good health and well-being Gender equality Clean water and sanitation Responsible production and consumption Life on land
In a statement issued on the International Day of Forests, ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru says there is strong evidence for the close relationship between forests and human health and, therefore, sustainable forest management is essential for ensuring the mental and physical health of people. 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
CITES COP examines agarwood after release of ITTO–CITES report
Responsible production and consumption Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), convening on 14–25 November in Panama, is considering a decision related to agarwood-producing species, based on a report released at COP19 by ITTO and CITES. More
Tropical forests vital for combating climate change—ITTO Executive Director delivers message at UN Climate Change
Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
Tropical forests are a valuable carbon reservoir at the core of climate-change adaptation and mitigation and their conservation is crucial for fighting climate change. 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
ITTO launches new book on teak in the Mekong
Decent work and economic growth Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
A report written by teak experts recently released by ITTO presents best practices for planting, managing, harvesting and processing teak in the Mekong Subregion and demonstrating legality and sustainability along supply chains. An outcome of an ITTO project, the book will be essential reading for policymakers and practitioners involved in teak supply chains. 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
Celebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples—tropical forest custodians
No poverty Gender equality Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
ITTO reiterates its commitment to fully recognizing and supporting the ownership, control, customary rights and role of local communities and Indigenous Peoples on forest land and resources. 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
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
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
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
International Day of Forests 2022: Choosing sustainably produced tropical wood for people and the planet
Responsible production and consumption
Tropical forests and tropical wood products are vital for addressing urgent climate-change challenges and providing the world with much-needed natural resources and rural communities with sustainable development opportunities, according to ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru, speaking on the International Day of Forests. 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
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
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