Guyana inches closer to EU deal on timber certification

Jul 01, 2017 News

Guyana has made significant progress towards concluding a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union (EU), after completing a key milestone in the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and

Field testing team at work recently.

Trade (FLEGT) VPA negotiation process.
Known as Field Testing, this phase enabled stakeholders to evaluate progress and make recommendations for the successful completion of the VPA negotiations.
The Field Testing Working Group (FTWG) included a broad range of stakeholders groups: representatives from the private sector, indigenous organizations, civil society, community organizations and Government, providing an open and transparent framework for the entire process, the Guyana Forestry Commission has disclosed.
The EU’s FLEGT Action Plan was established in 2003. It aims to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.
Guyana is dependent on the agreement to make it easier to trade with especially Europe, which has strict laws to tackle illegal logging.
The FLEGT programme and its implementation have been engaging authorities in recent years.
According to GFC, during the period June 12 to June 26,, the FTWG visited regions across the country, gathering views from approximately 150 stakeholders on their opinions and assessments of the main sections of the VPA Annexes.
“The field testing allowed for a frank assessment of 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. Initial findings from the Field Testing are positive,” GFC disclosed.
Guyana will use the feedback gathered to strengthen the VPA Annexes, addressing gaps and opportunities which the field testing identified.
“The VPA aims to address the illegal trade of timber. Once ratified, the VPA will commit both parties to trade in only legal timber and timber products and cover Guyana’s domestic market as well as its exports to the EU.”
Substantial progress has been made on the VPA since negotiations began in December 2012 and it is hoped that initialing of the VPA will be done in the last quarter of 2017.
The issue of illegal logging has over the years been a key one for forested countries like Guyana.
Consecutive governments have been working to tighten on systems that allowed for tracking of timber from the stumps to market place.