Brazil Endorses Principles, Bringing Total to 15

Brazil has officially endorsed the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction, marking a significant step toward integrating sustainable timber into national climate and housing strategies. The announcement was made by Antonio da Costa e Silva, representative of Brazil’s Cities Ministry, during a COP30 event convened by Built by Nature and partners focused on resilient building solutions.

The announcements came during the launch of the Building for Forests Acceleration Plan, part of the COP30 Presidency Climate Action Agenda. The event, titled “Building for Forests & People: Delivering Resilient Building Solutions”, was convened by Built by Nature, GlobalABC, SW4SW, the Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP), and other partners.

The plan promotes forest-positive and low-carbon construction, setting out a pathway to scale up sustainable wood-based building as a solution for climate mitigation, affordable housing, and forest conservation. The Building for Forests Acceleration Plan aims to engage 30 countries in sustainable wood housing by 2028, deliver innovative finance products for smallholders and SMEs, and align timber construction with national climate and forest strategies.

The event brought together government leaders, private sector innovators, and civil society representatives committed to delivering scalable and inclusive solutions for climate resilience and housing. Speakers included Hongpeng Liu (UNEP), Judy Zakreski (ICC), H.E. Norbert Totschnig (Austria), George Tarus (Kenya), Dan Ioschpe (COP30 Ambassador), Silvio Barros (Mayor of Maringá), Sheam Satkuru (ITTO), and Paul King (Built by Nature).

15 governments and 300+ industry partners now back the Principles

Brazil’s endorsement brings the total to 15 national governments, alongside two local governments and more than 300 industry partners united under the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction. This coalition represents the largest collaboration to date between government and industry to scale responsible timber use.

Current endorsing governments include Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Luxembourg, Spain, Brazil, and New Zealand.

Maringá joins as second city endorser

The endorsement was echoed by the city of Maringá, where Mayor Silvio Barros confirmed the city’s commitment to the Principles. Maringá becomes the second city globally to adopt the Principles, following Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Barros currently chairs the Environment and Climate Mitigation Commission of Brazil’s National Front of Mayors.