EU FLEGT Asia Programme
Strengthening forest governance, monitoring and sustainable forest management across ASEAN Member States and the Asia region to enhance the sustainable production and trade of legally sourced timber and timber products.
Supporting FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) negotiations, implementation and FLEGT licensing in Indonesia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam is the core focus of the Programme. We work with key stakeholders engaged in VPA processes, including governments, civil society organisations, the private sector and forest-dependent communities, and support the European Union and the four VPA partner countries in Asia in all formal dialogues.
Through our activities, we help strengthen regulatory frameworks, modernise forest sectors, improve business practices, build capacities and increase transparency, accountability and multi-stakeholder participation in decision-making in the countries engaged in FLEGT VPA processes.
The aim is to contribute to efforts to tackle illegal logging and improve forest governance, while at the same time encouraging sustainable landscape and economic development.
The EU FLEGT Asia programme is funded by the European Union and overseen by a Steering Committee representing the EU, ASEAN and the four active VPA countries in Asia. The EUR 5 million programme began in August 2020 and runs for three years.
• Strengthened systems and capacities for progress in the negotiation and implementation of VPAs.
• Improved information, dialogue, coordination and exchanges between ASEAN Member States, and between the EU and/or ASEAN with major timber trade partners.
• Best practices on national and sub-national forest governance and management frameworks.
We support capacity building on timber legality across ASEAN, as well as efforts to tackle illegal logging and related trade at the regional level. The Programme has officially been recognised by ASEAN via its Committee of Permanent Representatives.
The Programme engages major Asian markets of timber and timber products from ASEAN – such as China, Japan and South Korea – to explore ways of working together towards restricting illegally harvested timber from entering their markets.
Resources
- Best practices in forest governance and sustainable landscape approaches in Southeast Asia
- Impact of COVID-19 on ASEAN Member States’ timber trade
- Eighth Regional Training Workshop on Timber Legality Assurance, December 2022
- Stakeholders in the EU-Lao PDR FLEGT VPA Negotiations: The roles of non-state actors
More information on FLEGT VPAs in Asia
- European Union: FLEGT Regulation and VPAs
- Indonesia: Timber Legality Information System (SILK)
- Laos: FLEGT Standing Office
- Thailand: Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office
- Vietnam: FLEGT Office
Download the programme brochure.
For more information about the EU FLEGT Asia Programme, please contact us at ipf.asia@efi.int.
This web page has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
