School of Ecology San José

Guatemala will host the 46th Session of the International Tropical Timber Council in 2010

As part of its foreign policy and efforts to position itself as a leader in forestry, Guatemala will  host the 46th session of the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), to be held in Antigua Guatemala in November 2010.
Guatemala’s Ambassador in Japan, Byron Rene Escobedo, and the Manager of the National Forest Institute (INAB), Joshua Morales Dardón, made up the delegation reiterated the request of Guatemala, so for the first time this convention will be held outside Japan, obtaining the support of countries like the United States, China and Brazil, among others.
In the past, Guatemala has been the site of Central American Forestry Congress, Latin American Forestry Congress in 2002 and the International Conference on Criteria and Indicators CICI in 2003, so being the first venue outside Japan for a session of the ITTC strengthens Guatemala’s commitment to the environment, especially in forestry.
During the activity will be undertaken the participation of high level international experts on forests, as well as delegations from 60 countries, producing and consuming members of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), which will give an impetus to Guatemalan forest sector, at the same time, raise awareness of the natural and cultural wealth of the country.

For the realization of the event will have the support of ITTO, as well as Guatemalan institutions as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the National Institute of Forest, National Protected Areas Council, the Universities of the country, the Forest Guild, various municipalities, NGOs related to environmental issues and Alliance of Community Forestry.
ITTO is an intergovernmental organization promoting the conservation, management, sustainable use and trade of tropical forest resources. Has 59 members who collectively own about 80 percent of the world’s tropical forests, accounting for 90 percent of world trade in tropical timber.