The thirty-third session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-33) met from 4-9 November 2002, in Yokohama, Japan.

Approximately 220 participants attended the session, representing 47 member countries, 4 potential members, 18 intergovernmental organizations and specialized agencies, and 32 non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
ITTC-33 focused on the review of ongoing projects and activities and procedural matters related to the organization of work of the Council and its Committees, and preparations for the negotiation of a successor agreement to the 1994 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA, 1994). The Council adopted nine decisions on: projects, pre-projects and activities; management of the administrative budget for 2002; the International Tropical Timber Organization’s (ITTO) 2003 work programme; public relations, education and outreach; partnerships for sustainable forest management (SFM); prevention and management of forest fires; measures to reduce costs and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization; preparations for negotiating a successor agreement to the ITTA, 1994 and extension of the ITTA, 1994. After ITTC-32, considered by many as one of the most successful Council sessions in the history of the ITTO process, ITTC-33 served as an opportunity to set the foundations for consolidating ITTO’s role in SFM, and moving it beyond basic project funding to become a valued contributor to the international forest policy making process.
The thirty-first sessions of the ITTC’s Committees on Economic Information and Market Intelligence (CEM), Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF), and Forest Industry (CFI) also met to, inter alia: review projects, pre-projects and activities in progress; consider ex-post evaluations; and select projects and pre-projects for approval by the Council. The ITTC’s Committee on Finance and Administration (CFA) convened its twelfth session to review financial and administrative matters, including the 2003 administrative budget and appointment of auditors. A Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) Panel discussion also convened. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin report outlining these discussions in details can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/forestry/itto/ittc33/