European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius and Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat this week signed a legally binding trade agreement to promote the sustainable trade of legal timber to the EU.
The signing occurred at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) being held in Montreal, Canada.
Jan Dusík, Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic and Special Envoy of the Czech Government, on behalf of Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) co-signed the agreement.
A release today from the Delegation of the European Union in Guyana said that the agreement will give EU-based timber buyers assurance that timber products from this country are legal.
“It will help improve forest governance, tackle illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products. This cooperation takes place in the context of the EU Global Gateway strategy which stands for sustainable and trusted connections. Global Gateway is tackling the most pressing global challenges, including fighting climate change and supporting security of global supply chains”, the release said.
Through the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, Guyana is expected to tackle trade in timber that has been illegally harvested, transported or processed. Georgetown is also to improve market access for law-abiding businesses, as well as modernise its forestry sector, create jobs, promote sustainable development and protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
Under the VPA, the release said that Guyana commits to developing a timber legality assurance system to assess that timber products for all stages of the supply chain- have been produced in accordance with national legislation. When this system is in force, Guyana can issue verified legal timber products with Forest, Law, Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licences. The licence certifies that the timber or timber products exported under that licence are legal.
Guyana is the first country in the Amazon region to sign a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on forest law enforcement, governance and trade with the European Union, the release said.
With the signing of the deal, Guyana and the EU each need to ratify the VPA, according to their respective procedures. Forest stakeholders such as the private sector, indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society, have all been involved in the negotiation of the agreement, alongside with the Government and EU representatives.
The signing of the deal marks the end of a 10-year negotiation process.
“We are thrilled to have reached this agreement with Guyana” said Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen. “After the forest Partnership signed at COP 27, this VPA provides an opportunity for the EU and Guyana to keep on building on our long-standing partnership to further cooperate in the area of environment and forests. Forests are our allies in fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity, and local communities benefit from sustainable forest management. I am confident that this agreement will also lead to a positive impact on the Guyanese population, including indigenous peoples”, she said.
