[Index]
Governments – significant actors
for certification of sustainable
forest management:
UNECE/FAO policy forum reviews roles
of governments
Geneva, 4 October
2005 - Forest certification is a
voluntary market-based instrument to promote
sustainable forest management, and, as
such, driven by market actors. However
governments have a major role to play
in setting out a policy and institutional
framework, and as significant actors themselves,
for instance as forest owners and, increasingly,
as buyers of wood products. They may also
contribute to capacity building, provide
support, including finance, to drafting
national standards and putting in place
the necessary institutions, moderate between
competing schemes and provide assurance
of a level playing field in international
trade and on domestic markets.
The UNECE Timber Committee,
together with the FAO European Forestry
Commission, held an in-session, one-day
policy forum on governments’ roles
in forest certification for sustainable
forest management on 29 September 2005.
Among the forum’s conclusions are:
- Governments should endeavour to remain
neutral between competing schemes.
-
Governments and
other stakeholders should refocus
on the commonly shared objective of
promoting sustainable forest management,
and especially combating deforestation.
Certification is only one tool to
achieve this objective.
-
Certification
offers an opportunity to promote the
sound use of wood: this opportunity
should be grasped, by governments
and other stakeholders.
-
There is growing
concern among governments and industry
about the continuing fierce competition
between schemes, which is seen as
weakening the image of wood as an
environmentally friendly material.
Industry representatives also expressed
concern about emerging differences
between public procurement policies
in different countries leading to
possible distortion of competition
and effects on trade.
-
The lack of information
on production, consumption and trade
of certified forest products hampers
policy makers, analysts and market
actors.
The presentations and discussions of the
policy forum will be made available in
a UNECE/FAO Geneva Timber and Forest Discussion
Paper. The presentations are available
at http://www.unece.org/trade/timber/docs/tc-sessions/tc-63/Policy_Forum/2005TCPolicyForum.htm.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Christopher Prins
Chief, UNECE/FAO Timber Branch
Palais des Nations, room 456
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2874
Fax: +41 (0) 22 917 0041
E-mail: [email protected]
Ref: ECE/TIM/05/P07