A unique organization
ITTO occupies an unusual position in the family of intergovernmental organizations. Like all commodity organizations it is concerned with trade and industry, but like an environmental agreement it also pays considerable attention to the sustainable management of natural resources. It manages its own program of projects and other activities, enabling it to quickly test and op
erationalize its policy work. Other features include:
• an equal partnership in decision-making, policy formulation and project development between producing members (tropical developing countries) and tropical timber consuming members (mostly temperate developed countries);
• the active participation of civil society and trade organizations in meetings and project work;
• the formulation and implementation of projects in producing member countries, using mostly local expertise;
• frequent meetings of its governing body (the International Tropical Timber Council), meaning a comparatively rapid pace of debate, decisions and action. What ITTO does
ITTO develops internationally agreed policy documents to promote sustainable forest management and forest conservation and assists tropical member countries to adapt such policies to local circumstances and to implement them in the field through projects. In addition, ITTO collects, analyses and disseminates data on the production and trade of tropical timber and funds a range of projects and other action aimed at developing industries at both community and industrial scales. For more information on ITTO's action program go to ITTO at work, or see the Organization's Biennial Work Programme. Members may submit project proposals to the Council for review and financing in accordance with the ITTO project cycle. Examples include pilot and demonstration projects, human resource development projects, and research and development projects; the Organization's Action Plan sets out the types of activities that it should undertake in project and policy work. All projects are funded by voluntary contributions, mostly from consuming member countries. Since it became operational in 1987, ITTO has funded more than 800 projects, pre-projects and activities valued at more than US$300 million. The major donors are the governments of Japan, Switzerland, the USA, the Netherlands and the EU.
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