Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreements in Africa

DFID Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (FGMC) Programme supports the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, as part of a global effort to tackle deforestation, in particular by tackling illegal logging in developing timber-producing countries and the trade in illegally-produced timber products. Developing and implementing systems in countries requires extensive work by a wide range of stakeholders in each country. Apart from government regulators, these include private sector operators from large corporate enterprises to small artisanal loggers, and civil society groups representing communities and environmental interests. Ensuring that all parties in a partner country understand the Agreements benefits, demands and processes, and to helping them engage effectively also requires expert facilitation over extended periods from the start of negotiations through effective implementation.