The FLEGT

The progress of the 1st FLEGT VPA negotiation between Thailand and EU.
 

The 1st FLEGT VPA negotiation between Thailand and EU on July 2016 was initiated a clear direction and agreement on VPA roadmap from both sides. The roadmap was disseminated via www.tefso.org. People who interest can follow the process and activity via this channel.
 
After the negotiation, Thailand through TEFSO has arranged three AHWG meetings to discuss Legality Definition (LD) field test methodology. It aims to make sure the LD is realistic and base on legality. The EU supported hiring the consultants and operating cost with some co-funding from Royal Forest Department (RFD). It plans to finish the field test in October 2016.  Furthermore, the second AHWG meeting will discuss an import control and unregulated species verification in private land issues. The result from the meeting was the working group’s establishment to discuss and find out a possible method which leading to roundtable after this. It expects to have a clear concur direction for Thailand.
 
The next activity will base on VPA roadmap since July 2017 to March 2018 (from the first to the next negotiation).
 

 

Guyana and EU test timber legality agreement on the ground

Guyana is a step closer towards concluding a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU), after completing a significant milestone in the negotiation process. Known as field testing, this phase enables stakeholders to evaluate progress and make recommendations for the successful completion of the VPA negotiations.

The field test enabled stakeholders to assess the practicality and credibility of the VPA’s legality definition and legality verification procedures, as well as the readiness of government agencies to implement the Guyana timber legality assurance system.

For two weeks in June, representatives from government, the private sector, indigenous peoples’ groups and civil society organisations, travelled to regions across the country and gathered views of some 150 stakeholders, who assessed the main sections of the VPA.
Stakeholders in Guyana are now working to strengthen the VPA annexes to address gaps and opportunities the field testing identified.

Guyana has made substantial progress on its VPA since negotiations began in December 2012. The VPA aims to address the illegal trade of timber. Once ratified, the VPA will commit both parties to trade only legal timber and timber products. The VPA will cover Guyana’s domestic market as well as its exports to the EU.
 

The Corner…