Press Release First Announcement Global Timber Index Platform GTI Report Press Conference and International Workshop on Global Timber Market Trend

Background

Recent research shows that the gap between global demand and supply of timber and wood products is expected to widen significantly by 2050 due to a significant increase in the global population and a correspondingly sharp increase in societal needs for construction materials. There will be an increasing demand for legal and sustainable wood products to meet such needs while maintaining other important forest values. The effective protection and sustainable management of global forests, as well as the legal and sustainable use and trade of forest products, have also attracted worldwide concerns. At present, global wood industry is facing new opportunities and challenges. Especially affected by the pandemic of COVID-19, the wood industry is met with significant challenges on information consistency, the timber supply chain becomes more fragile and unstable, the timber supply and demand parties cannot cooperate effectively, etc.

In response to these challenges the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) established the Global Timber Index Platform, which aims to establish an information platform for global timber enterprises based on Global Timber Index (referred to as GTI Index), to facilitate business information and data exchange and collaboration among stakeholders including timber producers, buyers, processing industry and market players nationally and internationally, aimed at building legal and sustainable forest products green supply chains and increasing the trade in legally/sustainably produced forest products within a stable, transparent and predictable business environment.

Objectives

Global Timber Index Platform GTI Report Press Conference and International Workshop on Global Timber Market Trend intends to help expand the trade in legally/sustainably produced forest products within a stable and transparent business environment by connecting all the timber stakeholders and publish a Global Timber Index(GTI) initially piloted with the seven countries.

Specifically, the Seminar intends to:

• Raise the profile of productive forests and their contribution to climate change

mitigation and sustainable development;

• Discuss challenges and opportunities in demand and supply in global wood supply

chains;

• Encourage international trade in legal and sustainable timber and wood products

• Make recommendations for the promotion of partnerships in global green wood supply

chains now and into the future.

The GTI will release the world’s first Global Timber Index (GTI) with the first seven pilot countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Brazil, Peru, and China). Afterward, the GTI index will be released monthly and will establish a smooth international data sharing and information exchange mechanism through monitoring the operating status of logging enterprises and manufacturing enterprises as well as trading companies.

Organizers

Global Timber Index Platform GTI Report Press Conference and International Workshop on Global Timber Market Trend is an outcome of an ITTO programme, financially supported by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM). The Conference and International Seminar will be co-organized by IPIM and ITTO and hosted by the Global Green Supply Chain Initiative (GGSC) Secretariat.

Date and Venue

The Conference and International Seminar will be held in Macao, China, December 8-9 2022, at the Venetian Macao-ResortHotel, No. s/n, Wangde Notre Dame Bay Avenue, Macao, China.

Expected Participants

• ITTO members, especially the GTI index pilot country and representative enterprises;

• GGSC members and prospective members;

• China National Forest Products Industry Association (CNFPIR) members;

• IPIM representative;

• GGSC donors and potential donors;

• Related stakeholder organizations including government representatives, researchers,

Academics representatives from various forest and timber trade initiatives and civil society.

Languages

The working language of the Conference and International Seminar will be English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin, with simultaneous interpretation.

Registration

The Conference and International Seminar will have both online and offline meetings. Participants from outside China are recommended to participate online.

Detailed information on online and offline venue, registration procedures and alternative details for hotels in Marco will follow shortly.

Contact Points and E-mail/telephone numbers for Registrations (following further notification from co-organisers):

GGSC Secretariat: Ms. Gao Xuting - gaoxuting@itto-ggsc.org; tel: +86 1371 6456 368

Receipt for Online Attendees

Organization/Enterprise name：
Address:
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Position：
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E-mail Address：
Your country’s Contact person for GTI Platform:
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