Photo: © CSO(Lao Civil Society Organization)
Lao Civil Society Organization (CSO) held a biannual meeting on 13 August 2020 with the aim of bringing together 30 participants of the network, to report and discuss the progress, challenges and improvement of its supported FLEGT activities. The GIZ project “ Protection and Sustainable Use of Forest Ecosystems and Biodiversity” (ProFEB) also took part in the meeting.
In the meeting, ProFEB together with the FLEGT Standing Office (FSO) have shared updates on the status of FLEGT process in Lao PDR, particularly the VPA negotiation, as well as on the elements of the FLEGT negotiation and implementation phases, including the detailed concept and operation of the Lao Timber Legality Assurance System (Lao TLAS).
The explanation of Lao TLAS was focused on how: (i) the timber legality definition (TLD) and related verification and timber supply chain control (SCC) and related verification are defined and functioning, and how (ii) the FLEGT licensing and independent monitoring are set up and operational to be able to issue the FLEGT license to exporting companies for export.
This important knowledge helps CSO gain more detailed insights into the FLEGT VPA process, which will enable them to more effectively contribute to the FLEGT work in Lao PDR, e.g. in terms of CSO work on bringing benefits to the local communities.