ITTO higlhlights the vital role of tropical forests in protecting biodiversity at the 18th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests

Photo : ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru (left) moderating the Panel on Transformative Actions during the 18th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests.  Photo: Angeles Estrada Vigil, ENB/IISD

OIBT participated in a side-event on 8 May organized by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UNFF Secretariat to explore the interlinkages between the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Global Forest Goals, as articulated in the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030. ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru told the audience that sustainable tropical forest use is essential for biodiversity conservation.

Read more about the 8^th May side-event

Sheam Satkuru also moderated the Panel on Transformative Actions on 9 May, with speakers from multilateral and regional funding institutions and banks. The Panel discussed the transformative actions that countries, organizations and stakeholders must take to ensure achievement of the UNFF’s thematic priorities, as set out in Global Forest Goals 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Read more about the Panel on Transformative Actions

ITTO hosted a side-event entitled “Enriching biodiversity in tropical production landscapes through sustainable forest management” on 10 May to showcase ITTO field projects and explore the crucial role that sustainable forest management must play in conserving biodiversity and achieving global biodiversity targets.

Read more about the side-event on biodiversity conservation in tropical production forests

On 11 May, Ms Satkuru participated in a panel discussion on the forests–energy–livelihoods nexus, where she spoke of the need to increase the contribution of sustainable forest management to wood-based bioenergy.

Read more about contribution of SFM for wood-based bioenergy