liberia-eu flegt vpa charles k. miller deputy coordinator, liberia vpa secretariat accra. june 7 th
TRANSCRIPT
Liberia-EU FLEGT VPA
Charles K. MillerDeputy Coordinator, Liberia VPA Secretariat
Accra. June 7th
Introduction
Liberia-EU VPA negotiations concluded on 9th May 2011.
Overview of the Presentation1. History of Liberian Forest Sector
2. Overview of the VPA and how it has been developed
3. Next steps on implementing the VPA
Part 1: History of the Liberia Forest Sector
History of the Liberia Forest Sector
Commercial forestry started in Liberia in the late 1950s The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) was created in
1976 by a special Act to manage the forestry sector The Act also defined the following objectives of the sector:
– Establishing permanent forest estate made up of National Forests and National Parks;
– Optimizing the contribution of forestry to the national economy; – Increasing public involvement in forest conservation and
management through the creation of communal forests and agro-forestry programs
From 1976 until the imposition of UN sanctions in 2003, the focus of the FDA was on allocation of concessions
However, concession granting in Liberia during these periods did not consider transparency issues, or issues relating to environmental, or human rights concerns.
The forestry sector was linked with weak governance and corruption.
History of the Liberia Forest Sector
UN imposed sanctions on Liberian timber exports in 2003 that sought to address the following issues:– Lack of transparency in allocation and granting of logging
concessions;– Weak governance of the forest sector;– Timber revenues fuelling armed conflict in Liberia and the
sub-region;– Inequitable benefit-sharing scheme;– Unfair labor practices;– Tax evasion; etc.
UN Sanctions on Liberia
The purpose and effect of the sanctions was to ban the export of logs from Liberia until:
1) Liberia reformed its forest sector management practices to meet internationally accepted standards of transparency & accountability;
2) The government applied forest revenues to the benefit of the Liberian people.
UN Sanctions on Liberia
Forest Concession Review Committee established in 2004
– Not one of the seventy logging concessions reviewed could demonstrate bare minimum compliance with legal requirements, i.e. no operator had a legal right to log
– Almost two and half times the entire forested surface area of Liberia had been granted in concessions.
– The concession holders owed the government over 64 million U. S. dollars in tax and other financial arrears.
Forest Concession Review
FCRC recommended that the Government of Liberia:– cancel all existing forest concessions, and suspend the
grant and allocation of future concessions;– Conduct a package of legal/institutional reforms;– Establish a Forest Reform Monitoring Committee
(FRMC) to monitor forest management reform, led by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA); with the participation and assistance of Liberian and international representatives including civil society organizations.
Forest Concession Review
Sanctions were lifted in 2006 when all conditions were in place
Since 2006, there has been ongoing reform including:– National Forestry Policy of 2006, National Forestry Reform Law
2006 and new regulations, plus revised Code of Harvesting Practices;
– Reform of the FDA resulting in significant down-sizing of staff numbers and improved salary levels;
– Establishment of a national timber traceability system: LiberFor which ensures timber cannot be issued an export permit unless it has been harvested in a legal concession and all taxes have been paid.
Liberia Forest Sector Reform
3. Overview of the VPA and how it has been developed
Why did Liberia decide to do a VPA?
VPA reinforces Liberia’s sector reform agenda As the VPA is based on national legislation, it will support
Liberia to enforce its laws (and ongoing legal reform) It provides a framework for capacity building in the
forestry sector It builds on commitments to transparency and good
governance in the forestry sector It will help Liberia meet demand from international
markets that are looking for proof that timber is legal.
How was it developed?
NEGOTIATING TEAM
11 peopleLed by Minister of Agriculture
Mainly Govt, plus CS & Industry
STEERING COMMITTEE
26 peopleChaired by MD of FDA
Govt, CS, Industry & Communities
TECHNICAL SECRETARIATCarries out day to day work for NT & SC
EU
Scope of the VPA
Liberia sees the VPA as an opportunity to improve governance in the sector, and so has included:
– A wide range of timber products to be covered by the LAS, for timber from all sources (all concessions/permits plus imports)
– Commitment that all timber/timber products for any export destination and also the domestic market will have to comply fully with the VPA requirements
(NB. The domestic market will be phased in later once the LAS is operational for exports)
– A large number of areas identified for further regulation or clarification, including topics such as workers rights and welfare; social agreements with affected communities; and chainsaw logging operators
Liberia LAS - how will it work?
New structures will be established to create the Legality Assurance System in Liberia:
Liberia Verification Department (LVD)– Will carry out verification of compliance with all the legal
requirements set out in the VPA– Will operate the COCS (building on the LiberFor system)
Liberia Licensing Department (LLD)– Will issue FLEGT Licences (which will replace export permits)
EXPORTER
LLD
LVD
CSOs
OTHERS
MOCI
MOF
EPAFDA DEPTS
MOL
COC / WTSVERIFICATION
TO LD
Submission of monitoring data
Informing verification bodies
This diagram illustrates the intended institutional setup for the LAS
Both the LLD and LVD will be the responsibility of the FDA. However the LVD is intended to be outsourced for the first five years of building & operating the LAS
Public Information & Transparency
This is an important aspect of the VPA, and scrutiny of the LAS and the forestry sector as a whole will be important to ensure good governance in the sector.
Commitments are made in a dedicated Annex of the VPA to provide information on topics like:
– How the forestry sector is being managed– How the VPA is being implemented and what impact it is having
It reinforces the commitments to transparency included in:– National Forestry Reform Law – Freedom of Information Act– LEITI Act
Part 4: Next steps for VPA implementation
Where are we now?
The VPA is now pending ratification by both parties to come into force.
Pre-implementation activities have started with the formation of interim structures leading up to ratification and formation of the Joint Implementation Committee (JIC; the formal EU-GoL structure to oversee implementation of the VPA).
Where are we now?
Detailed planning is underway of how to implement the VPA, based on indicative timetables and activities included in the VPA. FLEGT Licences won’t be issued until the system is fully operational (expected 2014)
The commitments to a transparent and participatory multi-stakeholder process continue from negotiations to implementation.
– National multi-stakeholder committee to be established– Lots of work planned on communications
Thank you for your attention!