The International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) is the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), which promotes the sustainable management and conservation of tropical forests. ITTO also addresses the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested forests. ITTO’s membership represents about 90% of the global tropical timber trade and more than 80% of the world’s tropical forests.
The ITTO was established by the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), which was negotiated by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and adopted in 1983. Parties have negotiated two successor agreements, one in 1994 and one in 2006. The ITTC meets once a year to develop forest-related policies and approve and finance field-level projects. The Council is assisted by four committees: Committee on Economic Information and Market Intelligence, Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management, Committee on Forest Industry, and Committee on Finance and Administration.