Ressources

Clear improvements can be seen in the final text, but much still remains to be done before future FLEGT licensed timber can guarantee that indigenous peoples’ rights are fully protected.

FPP together with EU NGOs has today released a shared vision calling on the EU to take action on deforestation and forest degradation, with respect for human rights and good governance of land tenure at its core.

In July 2014 the European Commission embarked on an evaluation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan. FLEGT stands for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade and is the EU’s response to illegal logging and associated illicit trade. The action plan was adopted in 2003 and since then several so-called voluntary partnership agreements (VPAs) between the EU and producer countries have been negotiated as part of the initiative.

En julio de 2014 la Comisión Europea se embarcó en una evaluación del Plan de Acción sobre la Aplicación de las Leyes, la Gobernanza y el Comercio Forestales (FLEGT por sus siglas en inglés) de la UE. Este plan es la respuesta de la UE a la tala ilegal y el comercio ilícito que lleva asociado. El plan de acción fue adoptado en 2003 y desde entonces se han negociado varios acuerdos voluntarios de asociación (AVA) entre la UE y los países productores como parte de la iniciativa. Al mejorar la regulación y la gobernanza de los bosques, los AVA deben supuestamente garantizar que la madera y los productos madereros que se exporten a la UE sean legales.

In two newly released reports, indigenous leaders point out that the current concession allocations system in Guyana is unjust, severely flawed and facilitated by a national legal framework that does not fully respect their internationally protected rights to their customary lands and resources.“The foreign companies come and they have legal rights and we the people who have been living here all the time do not have legal rights.” [Resident, Kwebanna village]

This statement was presented by the indigenous representatives participating in a seminar organised by the Amerindian Peoples Association in Georgetown, February 2015.

In 2012 Guyana started negotiations with the EU with the aim of entering into a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) that will seek to ensure that Guyana exports only legal timber into the EU market. The VPA is a measure required under the Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) adopted by the EU in 2003 which aims to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

En 2012, Guyana inició negociaciones con la UE con el objetivo de celebrar un acuerdo voluntario de asociación (AVA) para asegurar que Guyana exporta únicamente madera legal al mercado de la UE. El AVA es una medida exigida bajo el plan de acción para la aplicación de las leyes, gobernanza y comercio forestales (FLEGT por sus siglas en inglés), adoptado por la UE en 2003, que tiene como finalidad reducir la tala ilegal mediante el fortalecimiento de la gestión forestal sostenible, la mejora de la gobernanza y la promoción del comercio de madera producida legalmente.

Guyana has been a major proponent of international funding for avoided deforestation in tropical countries. In 2009 the government signed an MOU with the Kingdom of Norway under an agreement to reduce deforestation, pursue low carbon (non-fossil fuel) development and enter into negotiations with the EU on a trade treaty under the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative. Almost five years after the signing of this bilateral agreement, how are indigenous peoples’ rights and local benefit sharing issues being addressed in Guyana’s land use, forest and climate policies?

 

This article seeks to touch base with the policy objectives of the European Union (EU)’s 2003 Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (‘FLEGT’) Action Plan, and highlight lessons learnt during Forest Peoples Programme’s EU-funded Strong Seat at the Table project.[1] With partners Centre pour l'Environnement et le Développement (Centre for the Environment and for Development, CED), FERN and ClientEarth, the ‘Strong Seat’ project supported the legal capacity of civil society partners engaged in VPA-related legal reforms in West and Central Africa.

Este artículo pretende reconectarse con los objetivos de la política del Plan de Acción sobre la Aplicación de las Leyes, la Gobernanza y el Comercio Forestales (FLEGT por sus siglas en inglés), establecido por la Unión Europea en 2003, y destacar lecciones aprendidas durante el proyecto Strong Seat at the Table (Posición Poderosa en la Mesa) del Forest Peoples Programme, que fue financiado por la UE.[1] Contando con Centre pour l'Environnement et le Développement o CED (Centro para el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo), FERN y ClientEarth como socios, el proyecto Strong Seat reforzó la capacidad jurídica de socios de la sociedad civil implicados en reformas jurídicas relacionadas con los AVA en África Occidental y Central.

In April and May 2013 the Amerindian Peoples’ Association (APA) of Guyana and a consortium of European NGOs, including Forest Peoples Programme, sent letters to the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the European Commission (EU) respectively, expressing concerns about rushed consultation processes and a lack of meaningful participation by forest dependent communities in the FLEGT process. 

En abril y mayo de 2013 la Asociación de Pueblos Amerindios (APA) de Guyana y un consorcio de ONG europeas, entre las que se incluye el Forest Peoples Programme, enviaron sendas cartas a la Comisión Forestal de Guyana (GFC por sus siglas en inglés) y la Comisión Europea (CE) expresando su inquietud ante los acelerados procesos de consulta y la falta de participación significativa de comunidades que dependen de los bosques en el proceso FLEGT. 

Cameroon’s 1994 Forest Code is being reformed and civil society has serious and urgent concerns about the process by which the reforms are taking place and the content of the draft reform proposals. 

Ante la reforma del Código Forestal de Camerún de 1994, la sociedad civil ha manifestado sus preocupaciones graves y urgentes sobre el proceso mediante el cual se están llevando a cabo las reformas y sobre el contenido de las propuestas preliminares de reforma. 

The British government is currently finalising its plans to help curb global deforestation as part of the UK’s £2.9 billion dedicated international climate fund (ICF). The ICF has been set up by the UK to ‘help developing countries tackle climate change and poverty[1]’ and includes a specific forest component that is currently being developed by the Departments for International Development (DFID) and Energy and Climate Change (DECC). A portion of the funds have already been allocated for the government’s Forest Governance, Markets and Climate programme, which is geared towards helping FLEGT countries to ‘continue and accelerate efforts to tackle illegal logging…..and supporting supply chain traceability for timber’[2]. It appears that the UK government now plans to extend this work to other commodities that are currently driving deforestation such as soya and palm oil.

El Gobierno británico está finalizando sus planes de ayuda para frenar la deforestación en todo el mundo, como parte de su fondo internacional para el clima (ICF por sus siglas en inglés) de £ 2900 millones de libras esterlinas. Dicho fondo ha sido establecido por el Reino Unido «para ayudar a los países en desarrollo a hacer frente al cambio climático y la pobreza»[1] e incluye un componente específico de los bosques que está siendo desarrollado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo Internacional (DFID) y por el Departamento de Energía y Cambio Climático (DECC) del Reino Unido. Una parte de los fondos ya ha sido asignada al programa Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (Gobernanza de los bosques, mercados y clima), que tiene como fin ayudar a los países socios FLEGT a «continuar y acelerar sus esfuerzos para hacer frente a la explotación forestal ilegal [...] y apoyar la trazabilidad de la cadena de suministro de la madera de construcción»[2]. Parece ser que ahora el Gobierno del Reino está planeando extender este trabajo a otros productos básicos que actualmente están impulsando la deforestación, como la soja y el aceite de palma.

O governo Britânico está atualmente finalizando seus planos para a ajuda no combate ao desmatamento global, como parte das £2.9 bilhões de libras do governo, dedicados ao fundo internacional para o clima (ICF em inglês). O ICF foi criado pelo governo do Reino Unido para ‘ajudar os países em desenvolvimento a enfrentarem as mudanças climáticas e a pobreza’[1] e inclui um componente florestal específico que está atualmente sendo desenvolvido pelo Departamento de Desenvolvimento Internacional (DFID em inglês) e pelo Departamento de Energia e Mudanças Climáticas (DECC em inglês). Uma parte deste fundo já foi destinada ao programa do governo para Governança Florestal, Mercados e Clima, que tem como finalidade ajudar os países do plano de ação FLEGT a ‘continuar e acelerar os esforços para combater o desmatamento ilegal.... e fornecer apoio à rastreabilidade na cadeia de produção da madeira[2]’ No momento, parece que o governo Britânico planeja estender estes planos para outras mercadorias que atualmente estão levando ao desmatamento, como a soja e o óleo de palmeira.

Hosted by ‘Le Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement’ (CED), and co-organised by FPP with partners CED, FERN and ClientEarth, the African Community Rights Network (ACRN) regional four-day workshop on securing community rights to forest lands took place from 12-16 September in Douala, Cameroon. The workshop brought together around 50 representatives from civil society organisations (CSOs) and communities from seven countries in the Congo basin, Ghana and Liberia, as well as land tenure expert, Liz Alden Wily. The workshop was funded by the European Union and the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI).The workshop culminated in position statements to government, and to civil society and communities. The statements expressed the conclusions of participants that the central and urgent issue to be addressed was how community rights to customary lands and resources could be secured as property rights in national laws. The statements also set out the means for securing this formal protection and supporting community governance. This common vision was presented to officials from Cameroon’s government on the final morning of the workshop by Silas Siakor, director of the Liberian ‘Sustainable Development Institute’ (SDI), on behalf of the workshop.