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: D.R. Paguada/ITTO Fellow
ITTO promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive employment and decent working conditions, especially in rural areas.
In its policy and field work, ITTO:
In its policy and field work, ITTO:
- Assists and encourages indigenous and local communities to develop forest-based companies that provide high-quality employment and decent incomes.
- Increases transparency in the tropical timber trade, including through the twice-monthly Tropical Timber Market Report and the Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation.
- Supports the creation of industrial zones to enable the development of value-added forest-based enterprises providing decent employment.
Related ITTO contributions for the selected Sustainable Development Goal(s)
(17 results found)
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
ITTO and UN Convention to Combat Desertification strengthen cooperation on tropical forests
No poverty Decent work and economic growth Climate action Life on land Partnerships for the goals
The overall objective of the new MOU is to support ITTO member countries and Country Parties to the UNCCD in restoring and maintaining tropical forest landscapes while promoting the sustainable production of timber and other products and ecosystem services. 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
27 September 2023: 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
Side-event hosted by ITTO and Teaknet examines challenges and opportunities for boosting teak value
Affordable and clean energy Decent work and economic growth Responsible production and consumption Climate action Life on land
A side-event convened jointly by ITTO and the International Teak Information Network (Teaknet) during the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Forest Products Conference in Cairns, Australia, on 4–8 June 2023, explored means for boosting the value of teakwood products. 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
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 World Tourism Day—the potential of ecotourism in tropical forests to assist pandemic recovery
No poverty Decent work and economic growth Climate action Life on land
With their stunning beauty, immense biodiversity and cultural importance, sustainably managed tropical forests have huge potential for low-impact locally based ecotourism. In celebration of World Tourism Day, we describe some of ITTO’s work to encourage ecotourism ventures in local communities. 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 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
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
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
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
Redesign incentives to encourage SFM, says new study
Decent work and economic growth Climate action Life on land
Governments could do much more to incentivize sustainable forest management (SFM) in the tropics, according to an ITTO report authored by CIRAD’s Alain Karsenty released today. The report, which examines existing regimes in eight tropical countries, finds that few existing incentives are linked to the quality of forest management and therefore do little to encourage it. 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
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
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