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.


 
Please scroll down to see the search results
Photo: SetsukoN

ITTO is a member of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, which is a coalition of international organizations with substantive programmes on forests. The Partnership’s aim is to promote the sustainable management of all types of forests, strengthen long-term political commitment to this end, and contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development goals.

ITTO also works collaboratively with many other organizations, institutions and communities. ITTO projects and other activities are mostly conducted in collaboration with partners—such as governments, industry, local communities, non-governmental organizations and research institutions—at the local, national, regional and global levels. ITTO’s partnerships foster collective, strategic action to achieve tangible benefits for communities and countries and at the global scale. They address, for example, climate-change mitigation and adaptation; biodiversity conservation; forest restoration; transparency in the tropical timber trade and tropical timber supply chains; the sustainable supply of non-wood forest products and ecosystem services; and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. ITTO recognizes that the active participation of stakeholders at all levels is essential for bringing about positive change.

Related ITTO contributions for the selected Sustainable Development Goal(s)
(46 results found)

Thumbnail

New video shows how sustainable forestry works

Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
A one-minute animation produced as part of an ITTO project in Brazil provides a simple explanation of forest management and how it is helping make timber production more sustainable in the Amazon. “Everyone wins from the sustainable use of forests,” says the video. More
Thumbnail

International Biodiversity Day—ITTO project in Sumatran biosphere reserve contributes to Global Biodiversity Framework

No poverty Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The first steering committee meeting has been held for an ITTO project designed to promote sustainable landscape management in the Giam Siak Kecil-Buit Batu Biosphere Reserve, a 705 000-ha conservation and sustainable use area on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The meeting took place ahead of International Biodiversity Day, being celebrated today. More
Thumbnail

ITTO projects help improve forest fire management in Indonesia and Peru

Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Two ITTO projects are showing how integrated fire management can tackle the threat posed by wildfire to tropical forests and forest-dwelling communities. We put the projects in the spotlight to mark International Firefighters’ Day, which recognizes and honours the sacrifices firefighters make to ensure that their communities are as safe as possible. More
Thumbnail

New video shows how communities are implementing sustainable forest management in the Amazon

No poverty Gender equality Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
A video released today shows how an ITTO project is helping communities in the Verde para Sempre Extractive Reserve implement sustainable forest management and thereby ensure the sustainability of the resource and the long-term viability of their forest enterprises. More
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

World Wetlands Day calls for restoration effort—ITTO committed to ongoing contribution

No poverty Climate action Life below water Life on land Partnerships for the goals
Wetlands, often called the “kidneys of the Earth”, are crucial in the fight against climate change, yet they are being degraded and lost at alarming rates. On World Wetlands Day, we highlight ITTO’s work to restore and upscale the sustainable use of tropical wetlands such as mangroves, swamps and marshes. More
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

New guidelines and videos launched on restoring mangroves in Fiji

No poverty Gender equality Climate action Life below water Life on land Partnerships for the goals
A guideline and three videos on mangrove rehabilitation and restoration in Fiji released today are the culmination of an ITTO project that has supported local communities and government in restoring mangroves and wetlands in the Rewa Delta, Fiji’s most important marine ecosystem. More
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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
Thumbnail

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