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Garrett Ziegler

Governance gain in Côte d’Ivoire with new contract for independent forest observers

On 22 April 2016, Côte d’Ivoire’s state-owned forest management corporation SODEFOR signed a new contract with the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, extending the organisation’s mandate to act as independent forest observers.

SODEFOR is the main implementer of forest policy in Côte d’Ivoire, with responsibility for reforestation and for managing natural forests, termed ‘classified’ forests. The new contract relates to one such forest, the Cavally classified forest, which is also a logging concession.

In 2014, in the context of Côte d’Ivoire’s VPA negotiations with the EU, the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation obtained funding from the EU FAO-FLEGT programme to carry out independent monitoring in Cavally. The new contract extends these activities for three more years.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Water and Forests, Louis-André Dacoury–Tabley, attended the signing ceremony.

Chimpanzee in Côte d’Ivoire. Source: Garrett Ziegler

The Director-General of SODEFOR, Mamadou Sangare, called for a strong collaboration of all key actors in this project to meet the objectives laid down in the sustainable forest management plan of the Cavally forest.

Emmanuelle Normand of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation said the first phase of the project had strengthened the capacities of communities for independent monitoring and good forest management.

In the second phase, the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation aims to build on these achievements and show the benefits of this approach to forest governance. The new phase will also build the capacity of SODEFOR to ensure sustainable management of the forest, including through support to controls and surveillance.

Sources: Le Point Sur and SODEFOR

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ECCAS organises Central African ministerial conference on the green economy and legal timber policy

The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is hosting the Conference of Ministers of ECCAS on the Fund for the Green Economy in Central Africa and the structural transformation of the economy of natural resources. The conference is titled ‘Diplomacy, integration, and governance and the new wood economy’ and will take place in Kinshasa from 27 to 30 October 2014.

The overall objective of the conference is to discuss the structural transformation of the natural resource economy in general and of timber and timber products in particular.

The conference is part of the implementation of the System of the Green Economy in Central Africa (SEVAC) of ECCAS and activities of the programme on fragile ecosystems of Central Africa (ECOFAC V) funded by the European Union.

EU programme used to offer regional support of VPAs in Africa

The EU is using its regional programme ECOFAC 5, which focuses on fragile ecosystems, to promote FLEGT throughout the Economic Community of Central African States.

A regional FLEGT unit is in place to help facilitate and coordinate regional activities relating to VPA implementation (Cameroon, Central African Republic and Congo) or negotiations (Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon).

In April, a team of EFI experts helped establish a positive atmosphere of confidence and teamwork in the regional FLEGT unit. EFI offered support to guide and finalise the unit’s work plan for July 2013 to June 2015.

The activities planned concentrate on four main aspects:

  • Regional exchange on the implementation of the VPA, particularly of the Annex on Public Information. The objective is to encourage more widespread consideration of transparency and of legal documents from the legality assurance system, especially in the context of the EU Timber Regulation.
  • Combined activities to encourage the private sector to take a larger role in VPA implementation. The objective is to balance the need for long-term commitment to the VPA with the urgent need for compliance with the EU Timber Regulation.
  • Regional communication based on better understanding of FLEGT and VPAs as a way of improving forest governance. The objective is to show how the VPA will affect day-to-day practices.
  • Introduction to specific regional issues to be highlighted, such as customs regulations, domestic markets and timber in transit.

Some activities for engaging the private sector are underway, with outcomes expected later this year.

About the VPA Africa – Latin America Facility

The VPA Africa – Latin America Facility supports the implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan with a focus on Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs). The Facility contributes to combating illegal logging and strengthening forest governance while encouraging sustainable economic development in countries that produce or process timber and export to the EU. The Facility is hosted by the European Forest Institute (EFI) and was established in November 2019.

Disclaimer

This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this site are the sole responsibility of the European Forest Institute and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of funding organisations.

The VPA Africa-Latin America Facility is no longer hosted and managed by the European Forest Institute. This website was archived on the 31st of October 2024 and is no longer being updated. For more information, please contact ipf.info@efi.int.