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Compendium on experiences from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process in Central and West African countries

Accra (Ghana), 23 - 25 October 2012

Year of publication 2012

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 204 p.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Document

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Illegal logging results in serious environmental and social damage each year, costing governments an estimated US$10 billion in lost revenues. As a significant consumer of wood products, the European Union (EU) recognizes its shared responsibility with timber-producing countries to tackle illegal logging and trade in associated timber products. In 2003, the EU adopted an Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade(FLEGT) to promote better forest governance and block illegal timbe r from entering the EU market. Specifically, the Action Plan aims to: support timber producing counties to improve forest governance and develop governance mechanisms; develop activities to promote trade in legal timber; promote public procurement policies; support private sector initiatives; set up safeguards for financing and investment; use existing legislative instruments or adopt new legislation to support the effective implementation of the Action Plan; and address the problem of “confict timber”.

Language English

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