The International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) and the Associated Sessions of its four Committees will meet virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ITTC is the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), which provides a framework for tropical timber producer and consumer countries to discuss and develop policies on issues relating to international trade in, and utilization of, tropical timber and the sustainable management of its resource base.

The 56th session of the ITTC (ITTC) must take decisions on at least three key institutional matters to take the ITTO into 2021:

• the extension of the agreement underpinning the ITTO, the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), 2006, which will expire in 2021 unless the ITTC extends it for another five years;
• whether to extend the term of office for the current Executive Director, Gerhard Dieterle, whose term expires in April 2021, and if so, for how long; and
• the draft ITTO biennial work programme for 2021-2022.

Among other topics to be addressed by the week-long virtual session are:

• the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on ITTO procedures;
• the implementation of past ITTC decisions regarding impairment of ITTO funds;
• the implementation of ITTO’s New Financing Architecture, Phase I, including a progress report on engagement of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other potential partners, and a progress report on Phase I’s four pilot programmes on Legal and Sustainable Supply Chains (LSSC), Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Forest Landscape Restoration and Resilient Livelihoods, and Emerging Issues and Innovation;
• discussion of the Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 2019–2020; and
• the implementation of the ITTO Thematic Programmes.

IISD, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web updates from ITTC-56. In addition, the ENB will publish a summary and analysis report from this meeting on Sunday, 15 November 2020.