Workers at a production plant of Nam My Wood Company in My Phuoc 3 Industrial Park, Ben Cat district, Binh Duong province.(Photo: VNA) By doing so, the country could enhance the reputation of its domestic timberprocessing industry in the global market and lay the foundation for sustainableforestry development in Vietnam, according to the industry experts.
The goal is to protect the world’s forests from illegal deforestation. In 2018,the project “Support to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process in Vietnam:towards legal timber supply chains between VPA countries” was signed toenshrine this common goal between the EU and Vietnam.
Over the past four years of operation, the project has made significantcontributions to accelerating the implementation of FLEGT VPA in Vietnamthrough improving the policy framework and strengthening the capacity ofrelevant individuals and institutions.
Upon signing the VPA, VNFOREST has strengthened forestry policies, especiallyin the traceability of forest products through the Vietnam Timber LegalityAssurance System (VNTLAS).
Speaking at the recent workshop "Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA)process in Vietnam: towards legal timber supply chains between VPA countries”, NguyenHuu Thien, Vice Director of the Vietnam's Forest Protection Department, said:“The project has actively participated and significantly contributed to thedevelopment of the legal framework and legal documents related to the VNTLAS.”
Santiago Alonso-Rodriguez, First Counsellor, Head of Development Cooperation,Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, said: “Germany will continue towork together with Vietnam to ensure the full implementation of the FLEGT VPA.”
He added: “A strong TLAS in Vietnam will surely also foster trust in theVietnamese timber processing sector. This includes, for example, to address thecurrent concern in Europe that all timber importers must respect the currentban on products from Russia. This includes timber products. The TLAS canprovide the necessary guarantee and confidence for European buyers of productsfrom Vietnam."
Considering Vietnam was a global hub of timber processing, Julia Falconer,Senior Forest Policy Advisor at Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, said:“I hope that Vietnam will play a leading role in future internationaldiscussion around sustainable timber supply chains, drawing from your practicalexperience. I look forward to continuing our work with Vietnamese stakeholdersand international partners, including Germany and the EU.”
In addition, the role of controlling imported timber and ensuring the legaltimber supply chain as required by the FLEGT VPA and VNTLAS will be a key taskfor the verification agencies of the Forest Protection Department and Customsand the due diligence system.
At the closing workshop, Anja Barth, Chief Technical Advisor of the Project,Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), said: “Capacitybuilding for stakeholders is a critical mission to strengthen the verificationmechanism and accompanying enforcement procedures.”
The project has supported training course participation about controllingimported timber from 47 provinces and cities, 406 forest rangers, and customsofficers. Additionally, 209 participants from enterprises and timberassociations across the country partook in due diligence training.
According to GIZ, it has helped promote dialogue among import and exportcountries’ enterprises toward sustainable supply chains, adding that thedialogue has expanded opportunities for various actors along the timber valuechain to exchange their experiences on the implementation of FLEGT VPA withother countries in the EU and the world.
Within the framework of the project, training materials, information onregulatory requirements in harvesting countries, and supporting documentsidentifying tropical timber species were also developed, published and sharedwith various stakeholders, said GIZ experts, adding the shared wealth ofknowledge was exhibited during the closing workshop and remains publiclyavailable for future use.
The project was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperationand Development (BMZ), co-funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and DevelopmentOffice (FCDO), and jointly implemented by VNFOREST and GIZ.
The workshop said Vietnam and Germany continue in their cooperation to support Vietnamin the full implementation of the FLEGT VPA.
An ongoing technical cooperation project, “Support to the implementation of theFLEGT VPA in Vietnam,” funded by BMZ, was initiated one year ago. It aims atsupporting the stakeholders in Vietnam to implement the jointly agreed-uponactions for realising the objectives of the VPA, building on what has alreadybeen achieved. This includes improving legal, institutional, and operationalconditions to align the TLAS of Vietnam with the requirements outlined in theFLEGT VPA./.
VNA
