The 33rd Session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC)
(Summary and Evaluation)
December 2002
The 33rd Session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) was held in Yokohama from the 4th to the 9th of November 2002. The Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Eisuke Hinode attended at the Opening Session as a representative of Japan. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Forestry Agency also participated in the Session. The following is the summary and evaluation of this Council Session.
1. Summary
(1) Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Eisuke Hinode and Director-General of the Forestry Agency Tetsuo Kato, along with the Minister of Environment of Brazil, the Minister of Forest and Environment of Cameroon, and Mr. Hiroshi Nakada, Mayor of the City of Yokohama, were all present and made speeches during the Opening Session held on the 4th November.
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Hinode called for members' attention in his speech on the following main points:
(a) In view of expiration of the present International Tropical Timber Agreement at the end of 2006, members should start renegotiation on the successor Agreement as soon as possible.
(b) The ITTO's projects should be managed more strictly and implemented more efficiently in compliance with originally planed schedules.
(c) The ITTO is encouraged to develop new ways of cooperation with Civil Society organizations including NGOs.
(2) The following decisions were adopted at this Session:
(a) "Extension of the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), 1994" and "Preparations for Negotiation a Successor Agreement to the ITTA, 1994".
It was decided that the present Agreement was extended for three years until the end of 2006 (Decision 9). It was also decided (in Decision 8) that:
- In order to allow countries sufficient time to complete respective ratification procedures, renegotiations on the successor Agreement starts in May 2003 so that a successor Agreement could be concluded no later than early 2005, prior to expiration of the present Agreement.
- A working group shall be convened by April 2003 to prepare for the negotiations.
(b) "Measures to Reduce Costs and Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Organization"
Concrete measures to reduce costs and improve efficiency and effectiveness of the ITTO's work were adopted based on the report of the working group held in August 2002. It was also agreed that continuing efforts towards this purpose would be made and that the effectiveness of these measures would be reviewed at the end of 2005.
(c) "Civil Society / Private Sector Partnership for Sustainable Forest Management"
It was decided to support partnership between Civil Society organizations and tropical timber producers, in particular small-scale timber enterprises, community based forestry managers, Civil Society organizations at the local and national level and forest owners, with a view to promoting sustainable forest management and certification. It was also decided to convene a working group to provide guidance for the ITTO's support of these partnerships. To support activities related to this decision, a contribution amounting $115,000 was pledged by Japan, $70,000 by Switzerland, and $15,000 by the United States.
(d) "Prevention and Management of Forest Fire"
In response to frequent forest fires in South-East Asia and other tropics, the following activities were approved and Japan pledged to contribute $277,500 towards these activities:
- Upon request, the ITTO makes available the services of forest fire experts to eight timber producing countries experiencing forest fires to assist in evaluating the country's forest fire prevention and management situation, to identify pragmatic strategies and actions and to develop project proposals.
- The ITTO co-sponsors the 3rd International Wildland Fires Conference and Summit in Sydney in October 2003 together with the GFMC (Global Fire Monitoring Center).
(e) "Public Relations, Education and Outreach"
Japan pledged to contribute $230,000, and Switzerland to contribute $50,000 for the following activities related to this decision:
- ITTO Secretariat undertakes further public relations, education and outreach activities to best convey the purpose and activities of the Organization.
- Member countries collaborate in the ITTO's public relations, education and outreach activities, including in the dissemination of ITTO publications and participation in its events.
2. Evaluation
(1) In view of expiration of the present International Tropical Timber Agreement at the end of 2006, member countries recognized the necessity to adopt a successor Agreement by early 2005 and also the necessity to start renegotiations on a successor Agreement as soon as possible. Concrete schedules and ways to achieve this end were agreed. This decision is evaluated as an important step to allow member countries including Japan sufficient time to complete the ratification procedures of a successor Agreement and thus pave the way to stable future management of the ITTO.
(2) The necessity of reducing cost and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the ITTO was shared with member countries. Accordingly, concrete measures for these objectives were adopted and continuing efforts towards further improvement in the future are also decided. These points were the fruitful outcome of this Session.
(3) Following the formation of the CSAG (Civil Society Advisory Group) at the last Council Session, it is decided to encourage the ITTO to support partnership among Civil Society organizations and tropical timber producers with a view to promoting sustainable forest management and certification. These decisions are steady progress for the ITTO to develop the cooperative relationship with Civil Society organizations including NGOs.
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