July 2010: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has released its Annual Report for 2009, outlining policy work, ITTO-sponsored meetings and financing of activities in 2009.

In terms of policy work, the report outlines, inter alia, recent forest-related developments under the UNFCCC and potential implications for tropical forests and the tropical timber economy, as well as ITTO’s participation in recent climate meetings such as Forests Day 3, held on 13 December 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Report further describes work conducted in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and others. It also highlights recent activities related to increasing stakeholder participation in ITTO’s work, several trade-related activities, such as monitoring developments in timber procurement policies and promoting trade from sustainably managed and legally harvested sources, and work on improving and applying management guidelines and criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management (SFM). [Annual Report 2009]