EU, IICA sign pact to aid forest governance here

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat (left) witnessed the signing between the European Union Ambassador, René van Nes and the Inter American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture’s Representative Wilmot Garnett.. (Ministry of Natural Resources photo)

The European Union (EU) and the  Inter American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA)  yesterday signed an agreement  which will enable support here for a landmark forest governance pact.

The support will go towards the  EU’s  Forest Law Governance and Trade (FLEGT)  Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) implementation.

A release yesterday from the Ministry of Natural Resources said that the  VPA implementation is ongoing with the expectation for the first licence to be issued in 2026. The EU has committed to providing funds for the implementation phase that runs until 2026.