Indonesia and the EU celebrated one year of certified timber trade at a half-day event in Jakarta on Nov 30. Image: FLEGT.org
Shipments of Indonesian wood products to the EU have reached over EUR 1 Bn since the start of FLEGT licensing.
Celebrating one year of the scheme’s licensing, Indonesia and the EU held a conference in Jakarta on 30 November. The half-day event focused on Indonesia’s achievements, on challenges the EU and Indonesia have encountered, and on opportunities to build upon the progress made through FLEGT licensing to date.
The FLEGT licensing scheme is the result of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement, which Indonesia and the EU negotiated to address illegal logging, improve forest governance and promote trade in legal timber products.
“Indonesia is committed to improve forest law enforcement and governance through responsible trade of legal and certified timber,” said Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Indonesia’s Minister of Environment and Forestry. “This contributes to Indonesia’s economic development, and broader socio-environmental benefits, including climate action.”
“The FLEGT partnerships aim to benefit both people and the planet,” said Vincent Guérend, the EU Ambassador to Indonesia. “They strengthen rights, increase prosperity and help Indonesia in its efforts to manage its forests sustainably and use them to limit climate change.”
Indonesia is the first country in the world to issue FLEGT licences for timber products it exports to the EU, automatically meeting the EU’s strict legality requirements.
