Presented by Warangkana Rattanarat, from the Center for People and Forest (RECOFTC) at the 7th Conference of the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) in Chiang Mai (Thailand), June 12-16, 2017.
Non-state actor in strengthening rights and improve governance through FLEGT-VPA in Lower Mekong countries
1. Non-state actor in strengthening rights and
improve governance through FLEGT-VPA in Lower
Mekong Countries
Presented by
Warangkana Rattanarat
RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests
12 June 2017
2. What is FLEGT VPA?
- Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade
(FLEGT)
- The EU's FLEGT Action Plan was established in
2003
- A Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) is a
bilateral trade agreement between the EU
and a timber-exporting country outside the
EU.
• to guarantee that any wood exported from a
timber-producing country to the EU comes
from legal sources
• to help the partner country stop illegal logging
by improving forest governance and
regulation
4. 4. ให้ใบรับรอง
FLEGT
5. Independent Audit
3.
Verification of
compliance for
operators and timber
products
1. Legality
Definition
2.
Supply
chain
controls
(Chain of
Custody)
Timber Legality Assurance System - TLAS
4. FLEGT License
5. 5. Independent Audit
3.
Verification of
compliance for
operators and
timber products
1. Legality
Definition
2. Supply chain
controls (Chain
of Custody)
Role of Non-State Actor
National process to improve Forest Governance
Land Tenure
Business capacity
DecentralizationTimber use right
Legal reform
4. FLEGT License
6. What are the gaps in law, governance and trade?
1.Law enforcement:
Centralization of
forest management
and limited
communities rights
in managing and
harvesting
forest/timber. Laws
are too restrictive
and difficult to
comply with.
2.Governance: lack of
transparency and
monitoring system, which
is mainly controlled by gov.
And limited participation in
forest laws development.
3.Trade:
incompleted supply
chain controlled
system that is
workable for SMEs
and lacking of
support for SMEs in
timber trade.
Insecure forest land tenure/no rights to harvest
timber?
-More than 600,000 hh.
Living in reserved forest
areas.
-Limited knowledge
about laws and
regulations of
smallholders as well
limited capacity local
authorities.
-Red-tape/complex and
long process
-Corruption
-Avoiding to share
information to public as
well coordination
between government
units.
-No incentive and
support for legal timber
trade.
-Limited capacity of
SMEs.
-Limited coordination
to link SMEs to big
companies.
7. Strengthening rights and Improve governance
Participation of stakeholders in
preparation of the negotiation
FLEGT’s goal: “Sustainable forest
management + Fair trade”
Improved laws and
regulations to promote
rights and incentives of
smallholders and
communities to plant and
management for economic
returns
Independent
mechanism in
verification that is
trusted by all parties
and linked with int’l
standards
Secured forest land
tenure rights and
sustainable forest
management
practices
Timber trade system that is fair
and accessible by smallholders
Financial/funding
mechanism to support
local communities in
sustainable forest
management
8. FLEGT VPA Thailand
Technical
Negotiation
FLEGT VPA
Technical Working
Group (5 CSOs)
Technical support by
RFD
Sub-committee for
Negotiation
( 2 CSOs
representative)
Technical
Stakeholder
process
EU
Technical
support
( EC , EU , Del,EFI
Minister of MONRE
Thai-EUSecretariatOfficeTEFSO
Negotiation Technical
Negotiation EU
Minister of EG
Thai Govt Political level EU
9. • Learning forum and form a
network ‘Thai CSOs FLEGT Network
• Directly participate in FLEGT VPA
process
• Monitor and participate in laws
development process
• Capacity development
• Research and documentation
• Piloting
• Facilitation discussion
Engagement strategy
10. • Clarity of Forest land tenure rights and
timber legality
• Simplify and education on forestry laws
and plantation acts
• Capacity development SMEs to develop
appropriate timber business models
• Engagement of stakeholders in FLEGT
VPA negotiation process and especially in
national forestry law development
processes
• Increased engagement between
smallholders and private sector to
influence policies due to similar agenda
Key learning issues
11. Dawna Tenasserim Landscape
Tanintharyi Nature Reserve (Mm) & Western Forest
Complex (Th)
Northern Th - La Transboundary Landscape Doi Phu
Kha National Park (Th) & Nam Pouy National
Protected Area (La)
Transboundary Vn - La - Kh Landscape
a) Eastern Plains Landscape (Kh bordering Vn);
b) Kon Tum province, Central Annamites; Quang Nam
province, Central Highlands (Vn bordering Kh & La);
c) Xe Pian & Dong Amphan National Biodiversity
Conservation Areas (La)
MEKONG AND TRANSBOUNDARY
LANDSCAPES
12. “By 2021, empowered and
networked NSAs in 3 transboundary
landscapes assess, monitor and
respond appropriately to
strengthen forest governance,
particularly in FLEGT-VPA and
REDD+, and effectively engage in
policy processes”
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE/OUTCOME
13. Local people hold the key to healthy forests
www.recoftc.org
THANK YOU