FAO Representatives Meet PWPA on Renewed FAO FLEGT Programme
United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) consultants Gualberto Tortoza and Diosdado Paler met with the Philippine Wood Producers Association (PWPA) last November 9, 2016 at the association’s Executive Room in Makati City to discuss the renewed Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Program for the Philippines.
Tortoza and Paler both mentioned that the results of the European Union’s (EU) recent FLEGT Action Plan showed that there is a need to encourage the private sector to be involved in the different sectoral strategies to achieve legality and sustainability in forest production and commerce.
To achieve that, they said there was a proposal that the country’s own FLEGT program should develop a strategy that will engage the private sector, particularly the local small and medium forest enterprises (SFMEs). It was also emphasized that the strategy should also include ways in which the entire forestry industry can participate.
Tortoza said the new engagement program will be done in three phases with situational analysis as the first phase, followed by a two-day multi-stakeholder dialogue or workshop, and will conclude with a country roadmap which will include areas that will be identified as priority areas for support.
Tortoza said the meeting is a part of the first step where the program needs to know about the different stakeholders, where PWPA is one, its concerns, issues and challenges being faced and its recommendations. He added that a two-day multi-stakeholder forum is being scheduled in December 2016 to share lessons learned on the Guidebook on Requirements of Chain of custody and the Building Capacity for Training and Auditing Chain of Custody and the validation of the situational analysis conducted. He said that invitation will be sent once the date has been confirmed.
PWPA Executive Director Maila Vasquez welcomed Tortoza and Paller and said that PWPA always support their projects especially that it considers way on how to improve the plight of the industry.
Vasquez also said there are many efforts that are being done for the forestry sector and the industry and it would be more effective if these efforts are consolidated so that it can harmonize all activities and the issues and concerns can be tackled collectively. This will also ensure that overlaps and conflicts will be minimized, if not totally avoided.