EFI Rapid Response Programme

Degradation of nature and biodiversity is taking place on a vast scale and at rapid pace, negatively impacting the resilience of people, economies and climate. Global demand for a few internationally traded commodities, such as palm oil and minerals, is driving forest loss. Often some degree of illegality is involved in the production of these commodities due to poor forest governance and land-use decisions. Changes to the international market drivers and the forest and governance arrangements are needed to change the way forest products are bought and sold across the globe, and to reverse forest and biodiversity decline.

Our objective: reducing the illegal use of forest resources

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the EFI Rapid Response Programme (EFIRRP - former EFITAP) is a rapid response mechanism for strengthening forest governance and land-use decision making related to forests.

After its first phase from 2019-2024, EFIRRP’s second phase (2025-2030) will initially focus on tackling illegal logging and the trade in illegally produced timber products in tropical producer countries, with an expanded mandate to apply lessons learned from timber trade reforms to other commodities and sectors associated with deforestation.

Our work: supporting countries on forest governance and climate solutions

EFIRRP supports countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and South America to address their forest governance and land use challenges.

Forest and land-use governance

In 2025, EFIRRP is supporting forest governance improvements in nine countries: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Liberia, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and the Solomon Islands.

In Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Liberia, and the Republic of the Congo, our support is aligned with the countries’ efforts to implement their FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements with the EU.

We’re helping to improve legal frameworks, systems and capacities to verify that all timber products comply with relevant laws and regulations. Where relevant, we’re also helping to explore opportunities to improve forest related land-use governance more broadly and to shift incentives through carbon markets.