Over 700 delegates from 40 countries who attended a global forum in Macao, southern China, have overwhelmingly supported an action plan to strengthen international collaboration among stakeholders in timber supply chains. The plan focuses on the legal and sustainable use of wood products.
The Global Legal and Sustainable Timber Forum (GLSTF) was created last year by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) and Macao’s Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM). It represents governments, industries, associations, companies, international organisations, and academics.
In her opening address at GLSTF 2024, ITTO executive director Sheam Satkuru asserted that the forum was a collaborative platform of timber industry stakeholders designed to strengthen networking and business exchanges to facilitate sustainable forest management and the legal and sustainable use and trade of timber and wood products.
The action framework endorsed by forum participants will enable the identification and implementation of practical actions to help build legal and sustainable timber supply chains.
The forum has an important and innovative agenda that, for the first time, is bringing together timber sector leaders across supply chains to support the implementation of sustainable forestry and the legal and sustainable use of timber,” Ms Satkura said with Dr Nurudeen, the ITTO director of trade and industry adding: “We need now to strengthen the impact of the forum with strong action goals.”
The action framework identifies eight action areas – partnership networking, information-sharing, market access facilitation, certification and traceability innovation, innovative technologies and technology transfer, ways and means for sustainable finance and investment, industrial clusters and parks development, and capacity building and training.
“There is huge potential to expand action in all these areas and more,” said Dr Iddrisu. “We invite all stakeholders in the timber sector and along supply chains to jointly implement this action framework based on the principles of voluntariness, openness and transparency.”
GLSTF 2024 was organised around the theme ‘Together Towards Reliable and Effective Global Timber Supply Chains”.
Over two days, the forum comprised diverse activities such as timber legality and sustainability responses to emerging trade requirements, timber resources and integration in global timber markets, advanced technologies and machinery for timber processing, and green finance and innovative financial mechanisms and opportunities for sustainable forestry; side-events on gender equality and the empowerment of women and youth leadership on wood and bamboo buildings.
Delegates discussed topics related to promoting reliable and effective global timber supply chains and heard many valuable opinions and suggestions.
Rupert Oliver, a timber trade expert and a facilitator at GLSTF 2024, said the forum provided much-needed leadership:
“One major challenge was the lack of consumer awareness of the positive role that the tropical timber industry can play – and indeed is already playing – in helping to maintain tropical forests and the contribution it makes to rural livelihoods,” he said. “There is little awareness outside the forestry sector of the strong level of commitment to the development of national legal and sustainable forestry systems, and to the evolution of highly transparent supply chains.”
Mr Oliver added: “We know the tropical timber sector has a major role to play in addressing some of the biggest global challenges of our times. In the past, however, there has been a lack of cohesion; therefore, the positive messages are often unheard. We need to be partners, not adversaries.
“The good news is that there are already several initiatives building these partnerships in various parts of the world, and the GLTSF has a significant role in accelerating this process.”
