Guyana and the European Union (EU) held a fourth negotiating session on the EU’s Forest Law and Enforcement Governance and Trade Action Plan Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA) earlier this month.
A release from the Ministry of Natural Resources yesterday said that at a preparatory meeting ahead of the March 10th FLEGT-VPA negotiations between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Technical Working Group (NTWG), Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman reiterated Government’s commitment to the process. The fourth FLEGT-VPA meeting was held in Georgetown, Guyana.
A VPA with the EU would facilitate increased market access for Guyana’s timber into the lucrative EU market, the release noted.
Guyana formally entered into the negotiation process with the EU for a VPA, in December 2012.
The release said that at this session, Guyana provided an update on the progress of the development of the VPA, highlighting strategic considerations in the further development of the Agreement. The parties stressed that the VPA represented a general commitment to communication, transparency, and consultation, and emphasised that these are key pillars of a robust agreement.
The two parties recognised that the VPA is framed by the extant legislation governing different aspects of timber legality, including forest use. The release added that while the focus of the VPA remains on forest-operations related legislation, Guyana and the EU acknowledged that this agreement represents an opportunity for the promotion of broader governance issues such as land titling and land use.
