30 July 2021 – Technical Meeting between the Public Disclosure of Information Sub-working group and FLEGT Asia Programme, European Forest Institute was held to deliberate the draft before finalizing for the Thailand-EU Negotiation in December. Both sides agreed that a full engagement with stakeholders external to the FLEGT VPA process is necessary to improve access to information.

After a year of legal review, annex drafting, and stakeholder discussion, the sub-working group headed by RECOFTC, has produced an almost complete first draft. The Public Disclosure of Information is an annex that listed out ways to access information of the Thai timber sector; either it will be the FLEGT VPA agreement, relevant regulations, and reports. The annex is indispensable in improving forest governance, the main clause in the FLEGT VPA agreement. The ability to access information by the stakeholders and public will ensure accountability, transparency, and effective implementation of the FLEGT VPA and the forest management sector as a whole.

Next month, RECOFTC and the Royal Forest Department will organize a workshop to discuss the public information roles with relevant government agencies. Also, RECOFTC will arrange the online seminar with the public to strengthen public understanding of the rights to information and the disclosure process in Thailand and collect recommendations for further improvement in the Thai public information system.