EU and Indonesia hail milestone in partnership against illegal logging

Representatives of the EU and Indonesia last week celebrated the start of Indonesia’s FLEGT licensing scheme for exports of verified legal timber.

Chatham House releases summary report on FLEGT and SDGs workshop

Chatham House has published a summary of its workshop called ‘Integrating FLEGT and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ held on 28 September, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium.

FAO launches traceability publication with African case studies

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new publication that can provide insight to countries and businesses establishing successful timber traceability systems.

Indonesia and EU celebrate launch of FLEGT licensing

High-level representatives of the EU and Indonesia have celebrated the launch of Indonesia’s FLEGT licensing scheme in a ceremony in Jakarta on 24 November 2016.

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.

Fern cautiously welcomes the EU and Vietnam Voluntary Partnership Agreement

On 18 November, a significant milestone was reached in the fight to protect Vietnam’s forests. The EU and Vietnam agreed ‘in principle’ on a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), establishing a legal framework promoting legal logging, ensuring that the nation’s forests are managed in line with social and environmental laws and that timber products from Vietnam are verifiably legal.

Indonesia fines company US$1.2 billion fine for illegal logging

An Indonesian pulp company has been hit with a record fine of 16.2 trillion rupiah (US$1.7 billion) for illegal logging.

Vietnam and EU agree in principle on FLEGT VPA

After nearly six years of negotiations, Vietnam and the European Union have agreed in principle on a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) to improve forest governance, address illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products from Vietnam to the EU. Vietnam and the EU expect to ratify the agreement in 2017.

Cameroon suspends 23 companies for logging infractions

Cameroon has suspended the logging rights of 23 operators for failing to comply with the legal and regulatory framework.

COP22: Harnessing the power of data for a deforestation-free economy

An EU side event on global supply-chain transparency showcased an innovative data platform called Trase (Transparency for Sustainable Economies) at COP22 in Marrakech on 9 November.