Ghana champions rights and fair compensation for forest communities

Ghana’s work to promote the legal timber trade, in partnership with the European Union (EU), strongly emphasizes involving local communities who live in or near forests.

Analysis of gender impacts of the Ghana VPA with European Union

Fern commissioned this study of gender issues in Ghana’s FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement as a tentative first step to looking at gender issues which have to date received only scant attention.

VPAs give communities a confident voice

FLEGT VPAs are not just about delivering legal timber to the EU, but ensuring greater stakeholder participation in timber sector decision-making in supplier countries to the benefit of ordinary people. Mike Jeffree reports on progress in Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Liberia and Vietnam.

Lessons learned from independent forest monitoring in Africa

The nongovernmental organisation Fern and its partners in four African countries have reported how independent forest monitoring has had positive effects on forest governance. In a new brief, they share stories of impact and lessons they have learned.

Independent forest monitoring to boost transparency in Africa

Independent forest monitoring by civil society can improve transparency and help strengthen checks on illegality in the forest sector in Africa, an international conference heard last month in Accra.

Briefing: Timber trade flows and investments between China and VPA countries

The EU FLEGT Facility has published a briefing based on research into flows of timber and investments between the China and the six countries that have signed Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) with the EU.

FLEGT boosts civil society self-help

After playing a key role in implementing their country’s FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the EU, Indonesian civil society groups are sharing experiences with counterparts in other countries engaged in the initiative.

Making Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) work for forests, people and the climate: Civil society recommendations on the future of VPAs

By highlighting the decade of successes already achieved during the negotiation and implementation of Voluntary Partnership Agreements to end illegal logging, civil society from timber producing countries explain where EU policy should go next.

Study reveals progress and gaps for civil society in VPA and REDD+ processes

Civil society groups are increasingly participating in national policy processes related to forest governance in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and the Republic of the Congo, according to a new study.

Ghana advances towards FLEGT licensing

Ghana is making good progress in implementing its Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU ahead of FLEGT licensing, according to the joint body that oversees implementation of the agreement.