Policy work of the organization
1. In order to achieve the objectives set out in Article 1, the Organization shall undertake policy work and project activities in an integrated manner.
2. The policy work of the Organization should contribute to achieving the objectives of this Agreement for ITTO members broadly.
3. The Council shall establish on a regular basis an action plan to guide policy activities and identify priorities and the thematic programmes referred to in Article 20, paragraph 4, of this Agreement. Priorities identified in the action plan shall be reflected in the work programmes approved by the Council. Policy activities may include the development and preparation of guidelines, manuals, studies, reports, basic communication and outreach tools, and similar work identified in the Organization’s action plan.
Project activities of the organization
1. Members and the Executive Director may submit pre-project and project proposals which contribute to the achievement of the objectives of this Agreement and one or more of the priority areas for work or thematic programmes identified in the action plan approved by the Council pursuant to Article 24.
2. The Council shall establish criteria for approving projects and pre-projects, taking into account inter alia their relevance to the objectives of this Agreement and to priority areas for work or thematic programmes, their environmental and social effects, their relationship to national forest programmes and strategies, their cost effectiveness, technical and regional needs, the need to avoid duplication of efforts, and the need to incorporate lessons learned.
3. The Council shall establish a schedule and procedure for submitting, appraising, approving and prioritizing pre-projects and projects seeking funding from the Organization, as well as for their implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
4. The Executive Director may suspend disbursement of the Organization’s funds to a pre-project or project if they are being used contrary to the project document or in cases of fraud, waste, neglect or mismanagement. The Executive Director will provide to the Council at its next session a report for its consideration. The Council shall take appropriate action.
5. The Council may establish, according to agreed criteria, limits on the number of projects and pre-projects that a member or the Executive Director may submit in a given project cycle. The Council may also take appropriate measures, including suspension or termination of its sponsorship of any pre-project or project, following the report of the Executive Director.
Committees and subsidiary bodies
1. The following are hereby established as Committees of the Organization, which shall be open to all members:
(a)
Committee on Forest Industry;
(b)
Committee on Economics, Statistics and Markets;
(c)
Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management; and
(d)
Committee on Finance and Administration.
2. The Council may, by special vote in accordance with Article 12, establish or dissolve committees and subsidiary bodies as appropriate.
3. The Council shall determine the functioning and scope of work of the committees and other subsidiary bodies. The Committees and other subsidiary bodies shall be responsible to and work under the authority of the Council.
