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Seminar in Suriname on Emerging Legality Requirements in the Timber Sector, (Paramaribo, 28-29 November 2013)
Suriname - 25 November, 2013
Several initiatives have emerged that put market requirements on the legality verification of timber products, particularly the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan and the US Lacey Act. Suriname is committed to the sustainable management of its forests and to support economic growth in the timber sector, but is currently not engaged in discussions on legal timber trade with the EU. However, its timber export trade will be affected by the emerging legality requirements.
In order to maintain long term access to and benefits from international markets, actors in the Surinamese timber trade need to build their knowledge and capacity to meet the high international standards. There is an urgent need for awareness raising, information sharing and capacity building in government institutions, private companies and local communities, to be capable of coping with the new developments.
TBI organises, in cooperation with the FAO, FTCI, IWF and theIDLgroup, a seminar in Suriname to:
- create an in-country space for discussion and open exchange of ideas, experiences and research;
- increase the knowledge of actors in the Surinamese timber sector on emerging legality requirements, specifically on the EU FLEGT Action Plan and the Lacey Act;
- share experiences in addressing governance issues in the sector from Guyana, Ghana and Belize, and;
- assess the possible impacts of legality requirements on the timber trade in Suriname and to develop an understanding on how to address these impacts.