Thai- EU FLEGT VPA Ad-Hoc Working Group Hold Their Sixth Meeting within 2018

Posted on 10/03/2018 Categories: AHWG, Uncategorized Comments are off for this post

On October 3rd, 2018, Mr Athapol Charoenshunsa, Deputy Director General of the Royal Forest Department, had presented and acted as the leader of the 6th Thai-EU FLEGT VPA Ad-Hoc Working Group meeting.
With this regards, he had an opportunity to discuss the planted-forest agreement with some relevant organisation. After that, Mr Banjong Wongsrisoontorn acted as the chairman of the meeting on behalf of the Deputy Director General.

The meeting aimed to consider the legality definition document presented by Ms Pavinee Udommai, the LD revision consultant. This document is presently coming to an end within this year as planned. The details are as follows.

The consultant revised the LD structure and its content to be aligned with Thai supply chain control.
Chainsaw is removed from LD.
Verifiers of “Source” of timber is added in order to cover all timber sources. However, recycle timber is not included as it is not in the product scope.
Separate indicator describing “timber right” and “timber right transfer”.
Indicators regarding the environmental and social aspects affected by forest allowed for public uses.
Environmental and social management in planting area excluded from the LD.
Adjusted and added indicators about social and environmental aspects for wood processing operator.
An indicator of labour in state enterprises (Forest Industry Organisation) is specified.
Labour requirements for planting area (not the Forest Industry Organisation) are excluded from LD.
Revised and added indicators regarding labour for wood processing operator which is not the Forest Industry Organisation.
The indicator of import and export-information declaration has been added.

Besides, there were updates from each sub-working group including TLAS and SCC sub-working group by Certification Office Royal Forest Department, Import Control sub-working group by Thai Timber Association, and an update on Catalysing sources of Legal Timber and Wood Products project as well as an update on the pilot project about SmEs Operator by Mr. Somporn Kongkritkorn, a SmEs facilitator to EU FLEGT Facility/ EFI.