Guyana has inked an agreement with the European Union to promote sustainable trade of legal timber to the European Union (EU).
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Climate Change conference in Canada between Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat and European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius.
The agreement will give EU-based timber buyers assurance that timber products from Guyana are legal. It will help improve forest governance, further curb illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products.
In a joint statement, Guyana and the EU said the cooperation takes place in the context of the EU Global Gateway strategy which stands for sustainable and trusted connections. Global Gateway is tackling the most pressing global challenges, including fighting climate change and supporting the security of global supply chains.
Through the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, Guyana will have to improve market access to EU businesses, as well as modernise its forestry sector, create jobs, promote sustainable development, and protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
Under the agreement, Guyana also commits to developing a timber legality assurance system to assess that timber products -for all stages of the supply chain- have been produced in accordance with national legislation.
When this system is operational, Guyana can issue verified legal timber products with FLEGT licences. Guyana is the first country in the Amazon region to sign a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on forest law enforcement, governance, and trade (FLEGT) with the European Union.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login