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Tag Archive for: flegt license

Forest & John Bitar & Co. Ltd.

Ghana and EU finalise assessment of Ghana Timber Legality Assurance System

12 February 2021

Ghana and the European Union (EU) have finalised an independent assessment of the legality assurance system described in the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on FLEGT between Ghana and the EU. The final report was shared with both parties on 31 December 2020, and they are now reviewing the findings and recommendations.

The assessment reviewed all aspects of Ghana’s licensing system to ascertain its fitness for purpose. The finalisation of the assessment is an important step in the VPA process, as it will inform the parties in their decision about Ghana’s readiness to issue FLEGT license.

The assessment concluded that the system was not ready. A major gap identified was the long-standing issue of conversion of extant leases to Timber Utilization Contracts, which requires the political approval of the Parliament to happen. Other gaps identified included the absence, or obsolescence, of forest management plans by the Forestry Commission, and the effective resolution of non-compliances associated with the supply chain.

Consequently, the assessment recommended that Ghana implement corrective actions to address the issues prior to launching the FLEGT licensing scheme.

Source: Forest & John Bitar & Co. Ltd.

Thanking the independent experts for their thorough analysis, the EU could not hide its disappointment in the failure of Ghana to start licensing. Ghana now has to work with resolve to crown its decade-long effort in the implementation of the VPA to address quickly all outstanding issues for FLEGT licensing.

“Ultimately, we expect FLEGT-licensed timber products to bring significant economic benefits to Ghana and its forestry sector, as they will automatically meet the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation”, said Ms Diana Acconcia, Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana.

On Ghana’s part, the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey, re-echoed the country position that “with the significant part of the Legality Assurance System (GhLAS) implementation behind us, Ghana’s remains committed to closing all identified gaps in order to come to the point of readiness for FLEGT licensing”.

The Ghana-EU Joint Monitoring Review Mechanism (JMRM), the joint committee overseeing the implementation of the agreement, will determine next steps based on the report. The next JMRM meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 2021.

https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/man-measure-forest-timber.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2021-02-12 07:54:002022-05-11 13:19:49Ghana and EU finalise assessment of Ghana Timber Legality Assurance System
Tree logged in a forest concessionEuropean Forest Institute

The Republic of the Congo and the EU release 2018 annual report on VPA progress

12 December 2019

The Republic of the Congo and the EU have released a joint report on progress in implementing the Voluntary Partnership Agreement from January to December 2018.

Tree logged in a forest concession
Tree logged in a forest concession. Source: European Forest Institute

The report describes progress made with the timber legality assurance system, institutional improvements, stakeholder engagement, communication, transparency and monitoring of the agreement.

The report is available in French:

  • Rapport annuel conjoint 2018 sur la mise en œuvre de l’APV FLEGT en République du Congo
https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/men-marking-log-Congo.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2019-12-12 08:08:002022-05-23 08:12:50The Republic of the Congo and the EU release 2018 annual report on VPA progress

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.

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This website has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

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Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0. Credit information: European Forest Institute, www.efi.int
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