Indonesian civil society calls for stronger VPA implementation

Indonesian civil society calls for stronger VPA implementation

Civil society groups in Indonesia have issued a position paper urging Indonesia and the EU to do more to implement their Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) to address illegal logging.

The paper follows last month’s announcement that Indonesia had met the final major requirement of its VPA and was on course to become the world’s first country to issue FLEGT licences to verified legal timber exports.

The new paper says the implementation of FLEGT licensing must be accompanied by continual improvements to governance in order to protect vulnerable groups and ensure that forests are managed sustainably.

The paper has recommendations for Indonesia, the EU and for Indonesian and EU businesses involved in the timber trade. The recommendations relate to:

1. Strengthening government accountability and effective law enforcement
2. Ensuring Indonesia’s timber legality assurance system (SVLK) applies to domestic markets, providing benefits for small businesses
3. Reforming regulations and policies to protect the rights and access of forest communities
4. Strengthening implementation of the Independent Market Monitoring as part of the VPA and strengthening the implementation of the EU Timber Regulation.

Read more

• Download the civil society position paper [PDF]
• Read the press release