62nd Session of the International Tropical Timber Council opens in Yokohama, launching negotiations on a new International Tropical Timber Agreement

On 9 November 2026, the 62nd session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC62) of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) officially opened in Yokohama, Japan. The session coincides with the year of ITTO's 40th anniversary, and its core agenda centres on arrangements for negotiating a successor to the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA).

In the opening remarks, ITTC Chairperson Cassandra Price noted that an increasingly complex international environment calls for deeper collaboration. The new agreement will continue to focus on sustainable forest management and promoting legal trade, unlock the economic opportunities of tropical forests, and she urged members to maintain the pragmatism and openness that have characterized the Council. Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Akiko Ikuina and Deputy Mayor Jun Matsuura of Yokohama also delivered remarks welcoming delegates and noting that ITTO will be the first international partner of Green x Expo 2027.

Representatives of member countries including Malaysia, India, Peru, Côte d'Ivoire, and Benin spoke in turn, offering recommendations from the perspectives of market access, regional consultation outcomes, the strategic opportunity to strengthen ITTO's mandate, and country-level forest restoration results. ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru said that multilateral support has declined in recent years and that countries are at varying levels of SFM implementation. The new ITTA needs to be "fit for purpose" for the foreseeable future, and there needs to be predictable, sustainable and accessible funding in order to enable the ITTO to remain relevant to its members and to achieve its international objectives. The Council reviewed the report of the Preparatory Working Group (PWG) and confirmed that the key elements for formal negotiation of a new Agreement include SFM, restoration and implementation, and legality/governance. The PWG report also stresses ITTO’s unique tropical focus and the need to stick to its core mandate.

 

Source: The website of International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)