Guyana ‘poised and set’ to be FLEGT licensed – Minister Bharrat

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat said Guyana is “poised and set” to receive its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) License “in another year, or year and a half.”

“This will significantly boost our credibility as a timber producing country and aid in traceability, legality of our timber, as well as sustainability in terms of harvesting,” he said.

In 2022, Guyana signed the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on FLEGT with the European Union (EU) along with other selected countries from Asia, Africa, and the Americas, committed to the protection of their forests.

Currently, Indonesia is the only country to have implemented the FLEGT licensing system. Other VPA countries, including Guyana, are in different phases of the process.

Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Edward Goberdhan said, “In 2024, the implementation phase continued where we worked with other agencies in building capacity to ensure that in 2026 we are on stream.”

Commissioner Goberdhan said implementing this system will “ensure transparency and traceability” in the forestry sector.

FLEGT Licences will be issued when it is verified by both the EU and Guyana that the Guyana Timber Legality Assurance System (GTLAS) works. Once FLEGT Licensing begins, a valid FLEGT Licence must accompany all exports to the EU of Guyanese timber-based products listed in Annex I of the VPA.