15 October 2014: On the margins of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held an event to discuss the agencies’ joint work programme, which coordinates the listing of timber species in CITES annexes through the implementation of projects across Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Speaking at the event, John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES, noted that demand to participate in the ITTO-CITES programme exceeds the financial resources available. During Phase I of the programme, thirty-four activities were funded and implemented, and to date, Phase II is supporting an additional 35 activities. Scanlon said that all the activities under the programme are necessary to achieve sustainable, legal and traceable trade in a number of CITES-listed tree species, especially as the number of listed species continues to rapidly increase.

The ITTO-CITES Programme has been funded through grants from the EU, through the European Commission, Germany, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, the US and the timber industry. [ITTO CBD COP 12 side-events] [CITES Statement] [IISD RS Article on Madagascar and CITES Cooperation] [IISD RS article on ITTO funding] [IISD RS coverage of CBD COP 12]