Press Releases
Meeting between Dr. Toshiko Abe, State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Dr. Gerhard Dieterle, Executive Director of ITTO
May 23, 2019
On May 23, Dr. Toshiko Abe, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call by Dr. Gerhard Dieterle, Executive Director, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and had discussions for approximately 30 minutes. The outline of the courtesy call is as follows.
- Dr. Abe stated that ITTO is an important partner to Japan in various endeavors, including tackling climate change, biodiversity conservation, and supporting efforts in Africa. Dr. Abe also mentioned that Japan, as host country to ITTO, places great importance to the organization with its headquarters in Yokohama. In response, Dr. Dieterle expressed his grattitude for Japan’s numerous years of support since the establishment of ITTO, and explained the global role that ITTO plays in the field of tropical forest management and timber trade.
- Dr. Abe emphasized the importance of ITTO’s efforts in promoting sustainable forest management in Africa, pointing to the significance of the side event that ITTO is planning to hold at the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7), in showcasing such efforts. Dr. Abe and Dr. Dieterle agreed on cooperating toward a successful outcome at TICAD7.
- Among other matters, Dr. Abe and Dr. Dieterle also exchanged views about the employment of Japanese staff at the ITTO.