International Tropical Timber Organization

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) is an international access entity established as an intergovernmental organization responsible for implementing the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983 (ITTA 1983), which was launched by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1983. ITTO's two overarching objectives are to promote the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested forests, and to promote the sustainable management of tropical timber-producing forests. ITTO has undertaken more than 1,200 projects and activities since its establishment in 1986. Its current membership under the ITTA totals 76 countries, including the European Union (EU-27), that together account for approximately 80 per cent of the world’s tropical forests and more than 90 per cent of the international trade of tropical timber and tropical timber products. ITTO also collects, analyses and disseminates information on all aspects of the world tropical timber economy and the sustainable management of tropical forests.

With GCF, ITTO aims to propose programmes on forest landscape restoration and resilient livelihoods to help scale up the area of forest landscape restoration and increase the provision of goods and services from planted and restored forests in ITTO tropical member countries, and legal and sustainable supply chain to enhance tropical timber supply chains to achieve legality and/or sustainability as a contribution to sustainable development and climate goals, meeting market requirements, and providing end users with assurance that products are from legal and/or sustainable sources.