From December 2 to December 6, 2024, the 60th Session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC60) was held in Yokohama, Japan. Representatives from member countries, the timber industry, and civil society gathered to focus on sustainable management of tropical forests and the legal trade of tropical timber, aiming to address the challenges faced by the global timber industry and to develop policies and actions that balance environmental protection with economic growth.

As an observer to ITTC60, the Secretariat of the Global Green Supply Chains Initiative (GGSC) was invited to attend the conference. During the Trade and Markets Day, Ms. Luo Xinjian, Secretary General of GGSC, delivered a keynote speech titled "Status and Development of GGSC and GLSTF," sharing GGSC's thoughts and actions on sustainable development, as well as the latest achievements released during the Global Legal & Sustainable Timber Forum (GLSTF).

Ms. Luo introduced that GGSC is a global service platform for enterprises. Since its launch in 2019, GGSC has received support from International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and other relevant stakeholders, and has achieved progress in serving the sustainable development of the forest industry.

In her speech, Ms. Luo also detailed the work carried out by GGSC at multiple levels. At the national level, GGSC closely cooperates with several national-level timber associations to promote and recommend relevant policies. At the industry level, GGSC leverages forest-to-consumer industry cluster demonstration actions to build a comprehensive platform for green finance and green supply chains.

Ms. Luo also shared the latest achievements released during the forum GLSTF. The GTI Platform is now up and running, with three new pilot countries, two additional industry indices, and the provision of training and business matching services. Moreover, the Blockchain-based Timber Tracking System (BTTS) has been successfully tested and will focus on technology upgrades and the development of a standardised system to further encourage international co-operation and innovation.

In terms of action consensus, GLSTF has launched the “Action Framework for Promoting Legal & Sustainable Timber Supply Chains”. A series of demonstration actions such as  “Green Finance and Green Supply Chains (GF&GS) Integration Action Plan”, and the “Demonstration Action of Collaboration on Central Africa-China Timber Industrial Clusters and Parks” were also launched, so as to build a new business ecosystem and supply chain model and to provide green financial incentives for certain enterprises and parks.

In addition, a string of sub-forums, business matching sessions and displays were held during the forum, providing valuable exchange and cooperation opportunities for participants.