ENB @ ITTC-39 7-12 November 2005,Yokohama, Japan

39th Session of the International Tropical Timber Council
and Associated Sessions of the Committees

7-12 November 2005, Yokohama, Japan

Earth Negotiations Bulletin - ENB

ITTC-39
Daily Web coverage	Mon 7			Tue 8			Wed 9
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Highlights for Friday, 11 November 2005

Delegates met in a Council session, Committees, a Chairperson’s open-ended drafting group, a Chairperson’s consultation with donors on project financing and a meeting on Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund (BPF). In the morning, the Committees on Reforestation and Forest Management, Economic Information and Market Intelligence, Forest Industry, and Finance and Administration met to review and approve each Committee’s report to Council. In the afternoon, delegates convened in a Council session to discuss a revised version of the draft biennial work programme for 2006-2007, review the outcome of the Fellowship Selection Panel and receive pledges to the Special Account and the BPF. In the late afternoon, a Chairperson’s consultation with donors on project financing and a meeting on sub-Account B of the BPF were held to review current and projected financial resources for ITTO project work.

Above photo R-L: CFI Chair Celestine Ntsame-Okwo (Gabon) consulting with Paul Vantomme of the ITTO Secretariat.

Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management (CRF):

In the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management, delegates reviewed, and suggested minor amendments to, the Committee’s draft report.

Above photos L-R: CRF Chair Jennifer Conje (US) and CRF Vice-Chair Petrus Gunarso (Indonesia)



Guatemala requested that information regarding the period of validity or “sunset time” of each project should be included. Above photo: Luis Ernesto Berrera Garavito (Guatemala)	India requested changes concerning their pre-project on sustainable and multipurpose forestry and tribal shifting cultivators, currently awaiting financing. Above photo: Bipin Behari (India)	The US suggested the creation of a comprehensive document that would provide clarity regarding listed projects and pre-projects. Above photo: Patrick Smith (US)



The Netherlands sought clarification regarding the status of an SFM project in Colombia and ITTO’s upcoming mission there. Above photo: Flip Van Helden (The Netherlands)	Regarding their response to their proposed project being denied approval, PNG requested that the term “deplored” in the report be changed to “expressed concern”. Above photo: Dike Kari (Papua New Guinea)	Germany thanked Chair Jennifer Conje, on behalf of the Committee, for guiding them through a seemingly impenetrable ‘forest’ of CRF processes, projects and associated documents. Above photo: Peter Schröder (Germany)

Committees on Economic Information and Market Intelligence and the Committee on Forest Industry (CEM/CFI):



In the Committees on Economic Information and Market Intelligence and Forest Industry, delegates reviewed and approved the Committees’ draft report to Council. CEM Vice-Chair James Gasana ( Switzerland ) asked that the Committees adopt the Report to the International Tropical Timber Council after reviewing each item. All items were adopted with minor editorial changes except two: the Biennial Work Programme (BWP) for 2006-7 (Item 10) and Other Business (Item 13). Above photo L-R: Paul Vantomme (ITTO), chaired by Celestine Ntsame-Okwo (CFI, Gabon), James Gasana (CEM, Switzerland), Amha Bin Buang (ITTO) and Steven Johnson (ITTO)



With regard to the draft BWP, Malaysia said that the reliability of statistics is a major problem for policy work. Above photo L-R: Y. Bhg. Dato’ Dr. Freezailah bin Che Yeom, Siti Syaliza Mustapha, and Norini Haron	The EU said that joint committee sessions have been generally positive, but the report should indicate that the committee is making no recommendation to the Council on joint sessions. Above photo: John Bazill (European Community)	The Netherlands proposed to change the item on joint sessions to read that delegations had “exchanged views” on the issue rather than “reviewed” it, to indicate that no evaluation or recommendation was made. Above photo: Marcel Vernooij (The Netherlands)	Brazil said that delegations had addressed pros and cons of the joint committee sessions, but we don’t have enough information to make as positive an assessment as is made in the document. Above photo: Rócia Silva Oliveira (Brazil)

Council Session:

Above photo L-R: Dais during the afternoon Council Session ITTO Executive Director Manoel Sobral Filho, ITTC Chair Alhassan Attah (Ghana) and ITTC Vice-Chair Koichi Ito (Japan).

Chair Attah called on the Secretariat and the Fellowship Selection Panel to report on the fellowship program, and on the Executive Director to review the resources of the Bali Partnership Fund.

Fellowship Selection Panel Chair Koichi Ito (Japan) reported that the panel, consisting of members from Côte d’Ivoire, Guyana, PNG, US, Switzerland and the Netherlands, approved 20 fellowships (out of 88 applications), 10% in economic information and market intelligence, 75% in reforestation and forest management and 15% in forest industry.

ITTO Executive Director Sobral said that there is a chronic deficit in the Bali Partnership Fund and that a large number of projects are not funded.

The US announced it is contributing US$ 130,000 to the Special Account of the Bali Partnership Fund.

Above photo: David Brooks (US)



The Commission for Central African Forests (COMIFAC) stated that they seek to harmonize forest policy within central African nations, promote SFM, and stressed the importance of good governance and the World Bank process on African Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (AFLEG) in controlling illegal logging. Above photo: Jonas Nagahuedi Mbongu Sodi (Commission for Central African Forest )	The Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) recommended further integration of civil society into the Council’s work, including supporting involvement in project review. Above photo: Yati A. Bun (Foundation for People and Community Development)	FAO stressed the importance of collaboration in ensuring forests contribute to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and highlighted the release of a best practices guide and four regional workshops on forest law enforcement. Above photo: Hikojiro Katsuhisa (FAO)	UNFF extolled the virtues of ITTO being a member of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and highlighted issues that UNFF-6 will seek to address this February. Above photo: Mahendra Joshi (UNFF)