International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) was established under the auspices of the United Nations in 1986 amidst increasing worldwide concern for the fate of tropical forests. While almost everyone was alarmed at the rate of deforestation occurring in many tropical countries, there was also considerable agreement that the tropical timber trade was one of the keys to economic development in those same countries.

ITTO's origins can be traced back to 1976 when the long series of negotiations that led to the first International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) began at the fourth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The eventual outcome of these negotiations was the ITTA 1983, which governed the organisation's work until 31 December 1996, when it was superseded by the ITTA 1994. Negotiations for a successor to this agreement were concluded in 2006, again under the auspices of UNCTAD. The ITTA 2006 entered into force on December 7 2011.

The ITTA 2006 builds on the foundations of the previous agreements, focusing on the world tropical timber economy and the sustainable management of the resource base, simultaneously encouraging the timber trade and the improved management of the forests. In addition, it contains provisions for information sharing, including non-tropical timber trade data and allows for the consideration of non-tropical timber issues as they relate to tropical timber.