Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Norberto Moretti, at the General Assembly meeting on the Observer status for the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) - Ocober 15th, 2025

Madam/Mister Chair, Distinguished Delegates,

I am honoured to deliver this statement on behalf of Angola, Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Sweden, and my own country, Brazil.

The sustainable management of tropical forests is of paramount importance to global environmental stability, economic development, and the well-being of millions of people who depend on forest resources. The work of the International Tropical Timber Organization plays a crucial role in advancing this agenda.

By promoting the sustainable management and conservation of tropical forests, the ITTO helps ensure that these ecosystemscontinue to provide essential services such as carbon storage, climate regulation, and habitat protection.

At the same time, ITTO’s emphasis on expanding and diversifying international trade in tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested forests supports a balance between environmental protection and economic growth. Sustainable trade practices help create incentives for forest conservation, provide livelihoods for local communities, and strengthen governance against illegal logging and deforestation.

In a world facing accelerating biodiversity loss and the impacts of climate change, ITTO’s mission demonstrates that sustainability and development are not opposing goals, but mutually reinforcing pillars of a more resilient and equitable global economy.

For these reasons, our Governments requested to the Secretary-General the inclusion of this item, in order to grant observer status in the General Assembly to the ITTO.

Chair, Distinguished Delegates,

As this is a Legal Committee, we trust that its delegates will carefully assess the proposal’s conformity with the rules and procedures of the United Nations.

General Assembly decision 49/426 remains the principal framework governing the granting of observer status in the Assembly. In essence, it restricts such status to States and intergovernmental organizations whose activities relate to matters of interest to the Assembly. The explanatory memorandum contained in document A/80/191 provides a comprehensive demonstration of compliance with these two criteria.

First, it is beyond doubt that the ITTO is an organization of an intergovernmental character with international legal personality, as conferred by its founding instrument. In particular, Article 17 of the International Tropical Timber Agreement 2006 provides that “The Organization shall have legal personality. It shall in particular have the capacity to contract, to acquire and dispose of movable and immovable property and to institute legal proceedings”.

Its current membership totals 75 States, and the European Union. ITTO’s membership represents about 90% of the global tropical timber trade and more than 80% of the world’s tropical forests. ITTO's governing body is the International Tropical Timber Council, which comprises all the Organization's members. The Council is the main governing and decision-making body of the ITTO, through which the Organization exercises its legal functions.

The Council is assisted by four committees: the Committee on Economics, Statistics and Markets, the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management, the Committee on Forest Industry and the Committee on Finance and Administration.

Second, it is undeniable that ITTO’s activities cover matters of interest to the General Assembly. The ITTO shares and supports the goals of UN initiatives on Sustainable Development and has supported the work of several UN agencies such as the United Nations Forum on Forests, the Convention on Biodiversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species and the Food and Agricultural Organization.

Obtaining observer status in the General Assembly will enable ITTO to access and receive updates on current global policy developments of the UN Agencies and programmes on environmental and socio-economic issues including climate change, agriculture and food security

which are related to sustainable forestry, as well as trade and livelihood issues focused on by UNCTAD and other UN agencies.
At the same time, ITTO will be able to contribute to the General Assembly by sharing information and knowledge of its member countries, their challenges and successful programme approaches, as well as results from experiences in the field. It will also enable ITTO to share its expertise on policy development on tropical timber industries and sustainable forest management.

Chair, Colleagues, 

Motivated by the certainty that the ITTO meets the criteria for being invited to participate in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly in the capacity of observer, our delegations kindly request the support of all the UN membership for the draft resolution tabled to this end. The corresponding L document has been already uploaded at the e-Delegate website and is open for co-sponsorship at the Sixth Committee e-sponsorship.

In addition to our countries, which are listed in the L-document, the resolution is also co-sponsored by Mongolia, Myanmar and the United Kingdom.
The Sixth Committee is scheduled to consider the draft resolution on 21 November. It has one paragraph at the preamble, on the intent to promote cooperation between the United Nations and the ITTO; and two operative paragraphs, one with an invitation for the ITTO to participate in the General Assembly as an observer, and another with a request for the Secretary-General to ensure its implementation.

We look forward to its adoption by consensus without a vote.

Thank you very much.