Guyana receives additional EU funding to support Forest Governance implementation

The Minister of Natural Resources,  Vickram Bharrat on Monday, witnessed the signing of an agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to support the implementation of the Guyana-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA).

This agreement provides additional funding for the ongoing VPA implementation phase, which is expected to conclude with the issuance of the first FLEGT license in 2026. The EU has previously committed funding for this period.

The announcement follows the Joint Monitoring and Review Committee (JMRC) meeting in November 2023, where EU Ambassador to Guyana, Ambassador Rene Van Nes, pledged additional support for VPA implementation.

The funding will be delivered through a Contribution Agreement signed between the EU Guyana Office and IICA. A work plan and budget were jointly developed by IICA and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) FLEGT Secretariat.

The agreement focuses on four key objectives:

1. Improve compliance of the Guyana forest sector governance system with the EU Forest Law Governance and Trade (EU FLEGT) requirements including the implementation of the Guyana Timber Legality Assurance System.
2. Strengthen participation and improve compliance of stakeholders in the VPA process.
3. Enhance information exchange for FLEGT compliance between the EU and Guyana partners and ensure the long term sustainability of the FLEGT VPA.
4. Support capacities at the GFC and Forest sector level.

This new funding complements existing support for the FLEGT VPA process, including the digitization of the Timber Legality Assurance System.

Background on the Guyana-EU FLEGT VPA:

The Guyana-EU FLEGT VPA is a bilateral agreement established to combat illegal logging and promote sustainable forest management. As a VPA partner, Guyana will be able to issue FLEGT licenses to exporters, ensuring only legally produced timber reaches the EU market.

The agreement is the result of a collaborative negotiation process between Guyana and the EU, involving stakeholders from across the forestry sector. It is anticipated that Guyana and the EU will soon sign and ratify the VPA, making its commitments legally binding.

Guyana’s Timber Legality Assurance System (GTLAS):

Guyana is building a robust GTLAS to verify the legality of timber products. This system will be evaluated before FLEGT licenses can be issued.

The VPA also includes detailed annexes outlining practical implementation components, such as the relevant Guyana laws and timber products covered by the agreement.