You are here: / indigenous peoples

Tag Archive for: indigenous peoples

Guyana and EU join forces to meet highest international standards on export of legal timber

On 27 October 2022, representatives of Guyana and the European Union convened at a Pre-Joint Monitoring and Review Committee (Pre-JMRC) meeting, to review progress of the implementation of the Guyana-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). The Agreement will help improve forest governance and sustainable forestry and verify the trade in legal timber.

During the meeting, the Parties indicated they will endeavour to sign the Agreement before the end of 2022. The VPA will raise industry standards and living conditions of the sector. After Guyana and the EU sign and ratify the VPA, its commitments will become legally binding.

Representatives of Guyana and the EU at the Pre-Joint Monitoring and Review Committee (Pre-JMRC) meeting to review progress of the implementation of the Guyana-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA). Source: EFI

According to René Van Nes, Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, “the VPA spearheads Guyana as a global pioneer of sustainable forest management”.

The signature and subsequent ratification will mark the end of a 10-year negotiation process. Guyana will thereupon join a selected group of African, American and Asian countries committed to the protection of their forests. Guyana will become the first VPA country in the Amazon region, and the second in the Americas, after Honduras; making it a frontrunner in sustainable forest management, adhering to the highest international standards.

The Honorable Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Vickram Bharat, stated that “the Pre-JMRC meetings continue to highlight Guyana’s continued commitment to the VPA process and the broader initiatives to improve forest governance. He further stated that the VPA and the agreements reached are all part of the Government’s commitment under the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 aimed at promoting a green economy”.

The Parties agreed to focus their efforts on the further development and implementation of strengthened operational procedures for the sector, and a robust paper-based and digital traceability system of logs and timber that meets the VPA’s requirements. To ensure these priorities will be met in time, Guyana and the EU agreed on a detailed work plan.

The Parties also discussed how they will continue to engage with national and international stakeholders interested in VPA implementation. They committed to putting in place a range of tools to ensure that interested audiences can follow the developments and impacts of VPA implementation.

Representatives of the private sector and civil society, including indigenous peoples’ organisations, presented the issues they would like to bring to the table. Guyana and the EU also discussed next steps in the development of an approach to protect the traditional rights of Amerindian peoples.

Through the VPA’s implementation, Guyana will further strengthen the sustainable use of its forest resources, reduce illegal timber trade and better modernise timber operations, thereby ensuring that forestry brings green jobs in the formal economy. The VPA also includes commitments to improve transparency, accountability, legislative clarity and other aspects of governance.

Good governance of Guyana’s forests is crucial to sustainable development. Moreover, it helps both Guyana and the EU contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including by mitigating climate change and protecting biodiversity.

The next meeting of the Joint Monitoring and Review Committee is scheduled to take place in May 2023.

Indigenous lenca woman. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.

Indigenous voices central in Honduras timber agreement

In the lead up to the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the European Forest Institute (EFI) has released a story describing the experience of indigenous peoples in the negotiation of the EU-Honduras Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA). The agreement is reshaping the way forests are managed in Honduras.

Honduras and the European Union committed in 2013 to working together and addressing illegal logging and trade. The VPA was negotiated to improve overall governance in the forest sector, and to ensure wood sold domestically and exported from Honduras comes from legal sources. The agreement has now been ratified by the Honduran congress and by the EU.

Indigenous lenca woman. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.
Indigenous lenca woman. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.

From the outset, VPA negotiations in Honduras included representatives from indigenous communities along with the Government, private sector, and civil society organisations.

Rosario García, president of the National Lenca Indigenous Organisation (ONIL) and coordinator of the Roundtable for the Unity of Lenca Indigenous People (MUPIL), describes the VPA as an opportunity to deal with historic, entrenched problems indigenous peoples have struggled with.

Carmen Borjas, who represents small and medium forest owners, says the VPA has been ratified with an unparalleled level of consensus, with forest owners now paying full attention to what indigenous groups have to say.

Read the story:

Indigenous lenca woman. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.

Pueblos indígenas, protagonistas de un acuerdo sobre la madera en Honduras

“Nos incorporamos tarde al proceso, pero sabíamos que era importante, así que pusimos mucho interés en entenderlo. Y nos encontramos con un grupo de actores comprometidos a trabajar de manera conjunta en busca de un objetivo común”. Rosario García es la presidenta de la Organización Nacional Indígena Lenca de Honduras (ONIL) y la coordinadora de la Mesa de la Unidad del Pueblo Indígena Lenca de Honduras (MUPIL). El proceso al que se refiere se conoce como Acuerdo Voluntario de Asociación, o AVA, y está transformando la forma en que se manejan los bosques hondureños.

Read more
Indigenous lenca woman. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.

Turning over a leaf: indigenous voices central in Honduras timber agreement

“We came late to the process. But knew it was important, so we made it our priority to understand it. And we were met by a committed group of people working together towards a common objective”. Rosario García is the president of the National Lenca Indigenous Organisation (ONIL) and coordinator of the Roundtable for the Unity of Lenca Indigenous People (MUPIL). The process she is referring to is known as the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, or VPA, and it is already reshaping the way forests are managed in Honduras.

Read more
Indigenous lenca woman. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.

Las voces indígenas, protagonistas de un acuerdo sobre la madera en Honduras

En las jornadas previas al Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas del Mundo, el Instituto Forestal Europeo (EFI) ha publicado una historia que describe la experiencia de los pueblos indígenas en la negociación del Acuerdo Voluntario de Asociación (AVA) entre la UE y Honduras. El acuerdo reconfigura la manera en que se gestionan los bosques en Honduras.

En 2013, Honduras y la Unión Europea se comprometieron a trabajar juntos y abordar el problema de la tala y el comercio ilegales de madera. Las negociaciones del AVA buscaban mejorar la gobernanza del sector forestal y garantizar que la madera vendida en el mercado hondureño o exportada a la UE u otros destinos tenga un origen legal. El AVA ya ha sido ratificado por el congreso de Honduras y la UE.

Indigenous lenca woman. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.
Mujer indígena lenca. Monte Panina, Intibucá, Honduras.

Desde su inicio, las negociaciones incluyeron a representantes de las comunidades indígenas, del Gobierno, del sector privado y de distintas organizaciones de la sociedad civil.

Rosario García, presidenta de la Organización Nacional Indígena Lenca (ONIL) y coordinadora de la Mesa de Unidad del Pueblo Indígena Lenca (MUPIL), sostiene que el AVA representa una gran oportunidad para afrontar los problemas estructurales con los que históricamente han tenido que lidiar los pueblos indígenas.

Carmen Borjas, representante de los pequeños y medianos dueños de bosques, sostiene que el AVA se ratificó con un nivel de consenso sin precedentes, en un proceso en el que los propietarios forestales prestaron gran atención a lo que los grupos indígenas tienen que decir.

Lea la historia:

Community education on social responsibility agreements in Wruwru.Logs and Lumber Limited

Respecting indigenous culture improves forest management in Ghana

It’s a quiet Thursday morning in Wruwru, a small village in the Akontombra District of the Western North region of Ghana. A little too quiet perhaps. No one is tending to the forest reserve, no children are playing under the trees and no community members are making use of the water from the river that flows through the forest. This is because today is a so-called ‘taboo day’. A day when the local community prays, rests and does not enter its forest.

Read more

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 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.