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Tag Archive for: timber trade

Signing of the VPA. From the left to the right: Mr. Vickram Outar Bharrat - Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana; Mr. Jan Dusík - Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic, EU presidency of the Council; Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius - European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries.

The EU and Guyana sign an agreement on sustainable trade of legal timber

20 December 2022

On 15 December, the European Union and the Government of Guyana signed a legally binding trade agreement to promote sustainable trade of legal timber to the EU. The signing of this deal, known as a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT), took place at the 15 Biodiversity COP in Montreal.

The VPA will give EU-based timber buyers assurance that timber products from Guyana are legal. It will help improve forest governance, tackle illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products. Through the implementation of the VPA, the country will improve market access for law-abiding businesses, as well as modernise its forestry sector, create jobs, promote sustainable development and protect the rights of indigenous peoples.

Signing of the VPA. From the left to the right: Mr. Vickram Outar Bharrat - Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana; Mr. Jan Dusík - Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic, EU presidency of the Council; Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius - European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries.
Signing of the VPA. From the left to the right: Mr. Vickram Outar Bharrat – Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana; Mr. Jan Dusík – Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic, EU presidency of the Council; Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius – European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries. Source: European Commission

Under the VPA, Guyana commits to developing a timber legality assurance system to assess that timber products – for all stages of the supply chain – have been produced in accordance with national legislation. When this system is operational, Guyana can issue verified legal timber products with FLEGT licences. The licence certifies that the timber or timber products exported under that licence are legal.

Guyana is the first country in the Amazon region and the second in the Americas – following Honduras – to sign a VPA on forest law enforcement, governance and trade (FLEGT) with the European Union. The signature marks the end of a 10-year negotiation process, and consolidates Guyana’s position as a frontrunner in the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of forests.

Following the signing of the deal, Guyana and the EU each need to ratify the VPA, according to their respective procedures. Forest stakeholders as the private sector, indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society, have all been closely involved in the negotiation of the agreement, alongside with the Government and EU representatives. They will continue to play a key role throughout the implementation phase.

In parallel to the VPA, Guyana is also one of the first five countries worldwide that signed a Forest Partnership with the EU. The aim of such a partnership is to strengthen cooperation on forests and make an important contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including addressing the challenges of climate change.

https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Signing-VPA-Guyana-EU.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2022-12-20 15:54:472022-12-20 15:54:48The EU and Guyana sign an agreement on sustainable trade of legal timber

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

2 November 2022

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.

https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Guyana-EU-representatives-pre-JMRC-FLEGT-VPA-meeting.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2022-11-02 13:20:472022-11-03 11:12:24Guyana and EU join forces to meet highest international standards on export of legal timber
Samartex factory Ghana

Beyond legality: Ghana’s Voluntary Partnership Agreement and sustainability

20 May 2022

Sustainable development has three pillars: economic viability, environmental protection and social equity. If one of these pillars is unstable or missing, then no society can thrive.

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https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/samartex-factory-ghana.jpg 670 1280 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2022-05-20 10:03:512022-05-27 13:15:44Beyond legality: Ghana’s Voluntary Partnership Agreement and sustainability

El sector forestal hondureño alaba el acuerdo comercial maderero con la UE

4 February 2019

Cuando Honduras decidió negociar un acuerdo sobre el comercio de la madera con la Unión Europea en 2013, muy pocos en el país imaginaban los efectos que emergerían del simple hecho de juntar a los actores del sector forestal para que hablaran de temas relacionados con el mismo.

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https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reserva-biologica-tawahka-header.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2019-02-04 07:56:002022-05-24 08:15:04El sector forestal hondureño alaba el acuerdo comercial maderero con la UE

Forest stakeholders hail participation behind Honduras-EU timber trade deal

1 February 2019

When Honduras decided to negotiate a timber trade deal with the EU in 2013, few imagined the profound effect of simply having forest stakeholders come together to talk about timber-related issues.

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https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reserva-biologica-tawahka-header.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2019-02-01 14:13:002022-05-24 08:13:10Forest stakeholders hail participation behind Honduras-EU timber trade deal

Quatre pays APV partagent des leçons sur la légalité du bois

23 January 2019

En novembre 2018, un groupe de visiteurs du Laos s’est retrouvé dans une forêt au Libéria pour apprendre comment les fonctionnaires de l’administration forestière du pays suivent le bois tout au long de la chaîne d’approvisionnement. Quelques jours plus tard, ils ont fait de même au Ghana. Leurs visites – et celle d’une équipe de la République du Congo au Ghana – ont été effectuées dans le cadre d’accords commerciaux appelés Accords de partenariat volontaires (APV), conclus entre chacun des quatre pays et l’UE.

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https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ghana-liberia-forest-visit-story.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2019-01-23 07:42:002022-05-26 07:54:05Quatre pays APV partagent des leçons sur la légalité du bois

Ghana and Liberia share timber legality lessons with Laos and Congo

23 January 2019

In November 2018, a group of visitors from Laos found themselves in a forest in Liberia, learning how the country’s forestry officials track timber through the supply chain. A few days later they got to do the same in Ghana. Their visits — and that of a team from Republic of the Congo to Ghana — were made in the context of trade deals called Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) that all four countries are engaged in with the EU.

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https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ghana-liberia-forest-visit-story.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2019-01-23 07:25:002022-05-26 07:53:38Ghana and Liberia share timber legality lessons with Laos and Congo
Javier Bernal Revert, EFI

High hopes for Guyana-EU partnership on legal timber trade

10 December 2018

On a cool grey day in Belgium last month, a group of visitors from Guyana gathered at Antwerp port and imagined a future in which their country’s timber products flow freely into the EU, bypassing red tape because every item has been verified to be legal.

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https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/antwerp-port-visit-header.jpg 628 1200 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2018-12-10 09:05:002022-05-26 09:12:44High hopes for Guyana-EU partnership on legal timber trade
VPA ALA Facility, EFI

Legal timber trade with EU can be big business for small companies

18 December 2015

For small and medium enterprises in Cameroon’s forest sector, trade with the vast EU market is a prized target. But small companies often face big challenges. Growing market demands for assurances that timber and timber products are legal mean such companies must adapt.

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https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cameroon-delegates.jpg 850 1280 Albert Garduno https://flegtvpafacility.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VPA-Africa-Latin-America-svg-logo.svg Albert Garduno2015-12-18 16:13:002022-05-26 14:41:37Legal timber trade with EU can be big business for small companies

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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