Mr. Attah Alhassan?s one-year chairmanship of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC), finished on a high note at the 39th Session of the Council held in Yokohama, Japan, from 6th to 12th November. Mr. Alhassan is the Executive Director of the Ghana?s Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD), which is part of the Ghana Forestry Commission (GFC)

The chairmanship of the ITTC, the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), is rotated on an annual basis, and Mr. Alhassan was elected to the post in November 2004. He is the second Ghanaian to be elected Chairman of the ITTC in the organisation?s 20-year history. The Council meets twice a year to discuss a wide-ranging agenda aimed at promoting sustainable tropical forest management and the trade of sustainably produced tropical timber.

During Mr. Alhassan?s one-year tenure, the ITTC committed a total of almost US$21 million to support sustainable forestry projects in producer member countries including Ghana. Ten tropical timber producing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, C?te d'Ivoire, Democratic Rep. of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo) are members of the ITTO. The major donors of the ITTO are the governments of Japan, Switzerland and the United States.

In his concluding address, Mr. Alhassan appealed to ITTO member countries to ensure that the negotiations for a successor Agreement to the ITTA (1994), to be conducted in Geneva in January 2006, was successful. ?We must succeed in Geneva. The future of the ITTO is too important for us to take entrenched positions and refuse to compromise. Both producers and consumers need the ITTO. We all have a common responsibility to protect and sustain the environment to ensure the socio-economic development of our countries. In our respective countries, the timber trade industry is an important sector in our economies - livelihoods and jobs depend on it? said Mr. Alhassan. Mr. Alhassan also encouraged ITTO members to be receptive to the changing values and priorities of today?s society as the international timber industry was part of the global economy. To remain relevant, the ITTO must be able to assist both producers and consumers to address new issues as they emerge in a cost effective manner. This requires that we ensure the new Agreement is able to address both current and emerging issues that have the potential to impact negatively on the international tropical timber trade commented Mr. Alhassan. On the issue of funding for the ITTO, Mr. Alhassan observed that while governments everywhere were under pressure from their taxpayers to reorder funding priorities, the ITTO will struggle, despite the best efforts of its members, if the organisation?s funding base were not sustainable over the long term. He stressed the importance of examining realistic options and mechanisms to address the progressively reducing funding base for ITTO in the successor Agreement.

Mr. Alhassan praised the ITTO for its success, over the past 20 years, in working collaboratively and in partnership with other international organisations and agencies whose activities impact on the mandate of ITTO. ?We must continue to build and further strengthen these alliances and partnerships for the benefit of our organisation in the successor Agreement. These partnerships allow resources to be more efficiently utilized? said Mr. Alhassan. In particular, he appealed to the ITTO to continue the legacy of further strengthening collaboration and co-operation among member governments, the trade and civil society. ?This is an on-going process and I hopeful that my successor will continue with this effort, in particular the building of capacity among civil society in the producer countries. It is a bit like the concept of ?sustainable development itself.? It is a journey and not a destination. I believe that the work we have done over the past 12 months has further cemented these relationships and partnerships? said Mr. Alhassan. Mr. Alhassan concluded his address by thanking a number of individuals, agencies and governments whose support, wise counsel and encouragement had been crucial during his tenure. These included his predecessor Ms Jan McAlpine of the USA, the Executive Director of the ITTO and his staff and the Spokespersons for the organisation?s two Caucuses.

He paid special tribute to the Government of Ghana, in particular his employer the Ghana Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Forestry and his colleagues: Mr. John Otoo, Mr. Tabi Agyarko, Mr. Fredua Agyeman and Professor Kojo Wireko-Brobby, for their support.

Mr. Alhassan also thanked the Government and people of Japan, particularly the City of Yokohama, the host City of the ITTO. ?As usual, we have enjoyed the warmth and hospitality of the people and Government of Japan, in particular that of Yokohama and for this we are eternally grateful? said Mr. Alhassan. The ITTC elected Mr. Koichi Ito of Japan to succeed Mr. Alhassan.