Tuesday, November 17, 2015
The 51st session of the International Tropical Timber Council, which opened at Kuala Lumpur on Monday, could have a major impact on the future of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) as it addresses, among other things, the election of a new Executive Director. The election process began at the 50th session of the Council in November 2014, and the incumbent Executive Director, Emmanuel Ze Meka, retired earlier this month.
Speaking at the opening of the 51st session, Mr Steve Johnson, ITTO Officer in Charge, urged members to appoint an Executive Director who would be seen both within the Organization and internationally to command the support and respect of the entire membership.
H.E. Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Malaysia’s Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, opened the 51st Council session, noting that his country was a founding member of ITTO and expressing appreciation for ITTO’s role in enhancing expertise in tropical forestry through its programmes and projects. Datuk Embas pointed out some of the challenges faced by member countries in implementing sustainable forest management and said that overcoming these will require further work by ITTO.
During the 51st session, which will end on Saturday, the Council will receive progress reports on the implementation of the Biennial Work Programme for 2015–2016 and the ITTO Thematic Programmes, and it will review the status of cooperation between ITTO and CITES and the Joint ITTO–Convention on Biological Diversity Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity. This year’s annual discussion on the tropical timber market situation will address the theme, “Raising the profile of tropical timber in the market place”.
Tags: 51st session, International Timber Tropical Council, ITTO, kuala lumpur
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