The president of the Brazilian Tree Industry (Iba) has been confirmed as the new president of the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations. Elizabeth De Carvalhaes will serve in this capacity for the next two years.

This is the first time an ICFPA member from the Southern Hemisphere will chair the top global organization in the forest products industry since it was created in 2002. De Carvalhaes was elected at the ICFPA's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 5, when representatives from 18 ICFPA member associations met to discuss future activities, cooperation and sustainability-related issues (see first article in the Weekly Spotlight section above).

"Iba's appointment to chair the ICFPA is a reason for our member companies to be proud, because it shows the country's growing presence in this industry's global scenario, as well as its role as a key player to meet future demand for food, fiber, energy, and wood," said Carlos Aguiar, chairman of the Brazilian Tree Industry Board of Directors.

"The forest products industry has the potential to respond to many of the world's needs, and I am honored to take charge of this group of leaders," said De Carvalhaes about her new position. She succeeds Donna Harman, president of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), who served as ICFPA president for the past three years.

The ICFPA represents more than 30 national and regional forest and paper associations from around the world. Together, ICFPA members represent more than 90% of global paper production and half of global wood production.

Additionally, the ICFPA represents the industry in international forums such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), by participating in the Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI), the FAO statutory body. It also advocates for standards and policies of good global forest management practices and production at the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)—two of the most important forest certification systems in the world.

De Carvalhaes expects her tenure at the ICFPA to be dominated by key topics for the industry's development, including multiple uses of forests, global industry trends, bioproducts, bioeconomy, and new technologies.

"Our greatest challenge will be to balance a variety of interests into one single global agenda in the face of an adverse and often protectionist economic scenario," said De Carvalhaes. She expects activities in 2015 to focus on the collaboration of the forest products industry with efforts to mitigate the effects of Climate Change, particularly through ICFPA's presence at the COP-21 United Nations Conference to be held in December in Paris, when the global community will be seeking a new global climate agreement.

The Brazilian Tree Industry represents the planted tree production chain, from the field to the industry, before its main audiences. The association was launched in April 2014 and represents 60 companies and eight state organizations that provide products obtained from planted trees, primarily wood panels, laminate flooring, pulp, paper, and biomass for energy production, as well as independent producers of planted trees and institutional investors in the sector. 

More information about Iba is available online.