27 October, Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok – the AHWG convened the 10th meeting to review the Joint Expert Meeting (JEM) and the Negotiation (NEG) results. Mr. Adisorn Noochdamrong, Director of the Royal Forest Department, presided over the meeting.
The AHWG adopted the work plan, which follows the VPA roadmap to NEG 4 timeline. Product Scope, THA-TLAS and Thai Supply Chain Controls (SCC) drafts will be presented at the next JEM and NEG in 2021. RECOFTC and stakeholders will start drafting the Public Disclosure of Information annex, which will be submitted to the EU for comments next year. The working group will also focus on completing the Import Control concept draft, which will tackle illegal logging at a regional level.
Representatives from the projects under the EU-FAO FLEGT Programme presented the project status. RECOFTC will start working on the supply chain control on public land study and discussion. The project will help SMEs and MSMEs who operates logging on government authorized public land, assure their timber legality. The project will also support forming community-based smallholders association that can help connect smallholders with the wider private sector and assist them in following the legal process. The AI Center of the Asia Institute of Technology presented a project on developing a technological solution for efficient timber traceability. The project will produce a web-based/mobile-based application ready to integrate into the RFD SW to control timber legality and supply chain. The Reclaimed Timber Association progress steadily with their project to develop SCC for reclaimed timber. The project is currently collecting data of existing reclaimed timber supply chain control in 4 regions in Thailand.
The AHWG endorsed the draft guidelines of the Supply Chain Control on Private Land. The AHWG also reviewed the self-declaration draft and suggested further revision. The documents will be forwarded to the EU in December this year.
The AHWG 10 received a visit from the Sustainable Forest Trade in Lower Mekong Region Project. Part of the project’s objectives, which are promoting forest governance, fostering legality and sustainability in forest trade (certification system), and increasing smallholders’ access to legal and sustainable timber operation on the national level, are shared with the FLEGT VPA goals. The two projects will look for a way to collaborate and work in synergy together.
