The document discusses the implementation of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as required by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), emphasizing its importance for indigenous peoples managing their lands. It outlines a six-step methodology for certificate holders to engage with indigenous communities, although it notes the lack of best practice examples and previous conflicts. Current efforts include field tests in various countries and plans for additional guidance by the end of 2015.

1. FSC Free Prior Informed Consent
in practice
Alison Ketteler
FSC ForCES Project Manager
GLF, Peru, December 2014
FSC® F000100 - FSC® International All rights reserved

2. WHO WE ARE
OUR VISION
Meeting the rights and needs of the present generation
without compromising those of future generations
=
OUR MISSION
The Forest Stewardship
Council shall promote
environmentally
appropriate, socially
beneficial and
economically viable
management of the
world's forests
ECONOMIC
Responsible &
Profitable
ECOLOGICAL
Biodiversity &
Ecological
Process
SOCIAL
Local People
& Society at
Large
FSC® F000100 - FSC® International All rights reserved
#FSC_IC

3. WHERE WE ARE
Total certified area: 183,175 ha
Total number of FM certificates: 1296
FSC® F000100 - FSC® International All rights reserved
#FSC_IC

4. Forest Stewardship Council ®
© FSC A.C. All rights reserved 2012
®
Is FPIC new in FSC?
FSC has always required Free & Informed Consent in P3:
3.1: Indigenous Peoples shall control forest management on their lands and
territories unless they delegate control with free and informed consent to
other agencies.
3.4: Indigenous peoples shall be compensated for the application of their
traditional knowledge regarding the use of forest species or management
systems in forest operations. This compensation shall be formally agreed
upon with their free and informed consent before forest operations
commence.
Despite this:
Very few documented examples of good practices exist,
Process or content never formally established
Many conflicts reported where FPIC has been disregarded.

5. Forest Stewardship Council ®
© FSC A.C. All rights reserved 2012
Forest Stewardship Council ®
FSC Guidelines
• FSC Guidelines for the implementation of
the right to Free, Prior and Informed
Consent (FPIC) released in Nov 2012.
• Designed to compliment and support the
“new” Principles, Criteria & Indicators.
• Developed by Netherlands Centre for
Indigenous Peoples (NCIV) with the
participation of a consultative forum of
stakeholders.
• The core of the document sets out a six-step
methodology produced from a
combination of practical experiences from
various sectors and a comprehensive
literature review.
• Very little information available of best
practice FPIC implementation within
FSC context
#FSC_IC

6. Forest Stewardship Council ®
© FSC A.C. All rights reserved 2012
Forest Stewardship Council ®
Structure of the document
Chp 1: Introduction to the concept of FPIC, legal basis,
definitions of the elements, location within the FSC P&C
Chp 2: FPIC Step by Step
1) A 6-step methodology principally to guide Certificate
Holders through the design & implementation of an FPIC
process, also with guidance for the IPs/LCs involved
**Pgs 25-33: Summary & checklist for each step**
2) Detailed guidance of each Step (pgs 34-66)
Annexes: Tools & Resources
#FSC_IC

7. Forest Stewardship Council ®
© FSC A.C. All rights reserved 2012
Forest Stewardship Council ®
The six steps
Step 1: Identify rights holders and their representative institutions
Step 2: Prepare for engagement with identified communities
Step 3: Map rights, resources, lands and territories and assess impacts
Step 4: Inform affected indigenous and local community rights holders
Step 5: Negotiate & let community decide on negotiated FPIC
proposal
Step 6: Formalize, verify, implement & monitor the consent agreement
The order of the steps are not fixed!!
This is an iterative process.
#FSC_IC

8. Forest Stewardship Council ®
© FSC A.C. All rights reserved 2012
Forest Stewardship Council ®
What is next?
• Field tests currently underway in variety of settings (China, Nepal,
Sweden, Canada, Congo, Mozambique, Chile, Russia, Spain,
Indonesia)
• 2nd version and Auditor guidance to be produced by end 2015
#FSC_IC

9. Forest Stewardship Council ®
© FSC A.C. All rights reserved 2012
Forest Stewardship Council ®
Where can I find out more?
Hi, I am Vanessa Linforth the
Social Policy Manager at FSC
My email is v.linforth@fsc.org)
…and ic.fsc.org
#FSC_IC