1. FLEGT and Lao CSO
The Role and relevance of Civil Society in the FLEGT process in Lao PDR
“La ingeniería de eq de fases comprende la aplicación del conocimiento fenomenológico del comportamiento de sistemas homogéneos y multifásicos, y su predicción mediante herramientas termodinámicas, con la finalidad de contribuir al desarrollo de procesos químicos. El diseño del equilibrio de fases es un nexo entre los requerimiento de un dado proceso y las actividades académicas de medición y modelado de datos experimentales.
[…] Esta disponibilidad (de simuladores computacionales) hace necesario estudiarla, con la finalidad de alcanzar un uso más fehaciente y efectivo de éstos, a través del desarrollo de criterios generales que faciliten la comprensión del potencial y limitaciones del proceso químico.”
Pereda, tesis doctoral, PLAPIQUI/UNS 2003, pp 4.1.

2. FLEGT and CSO What is FLEGT? What makes FLEGT unique?
Stakeholder participation in FLEGT
Civil Society in FLEGT
Benefits of Civil Society engagement
Land Tenure and FLEGT

3. What is FLEGT? Forestry Law Enforcement Governance and Trade
ETR (EU Timber Regulations)
The VPA
The VPA process

4. What is FLEGT? The VPA Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS)
Timber Legality Definition (TLD)
Supply Chain Control
Monitoring and Inspection

5. Why FLEGT?
EU Timber Regulations (ETR) are established to prevent environemental (especially climate change), social (especially land tenure conflict), and economic harms (as well as issues of governance, such as corruption)
EU members must assure the timber they purchase is legal
FLEGT hopes to facilitate timber trade by allowing countries to certify their own timber as legal

6. What makes FLEGT unique?
The FLEGT VPA, TLAS, and TLD are based on the national legal framework of legality
The VPA process will result in a trade agreement that is mandatory after signing
The EU requires strong participation of stakeholder groups, including private sector and civil society
The EU and member countries provide support to help the country develop their VPA, TLAS, TLD

7. Stakeholder Participation
Government
Private Sector
Civil Society
EU requires consultation and participation of national stakeholders
Why?
Stakeholders’ participation in the development of the VPA can address needs, avoid impacts, and
Stakeholders will be involved in the implementation when the VPA is signed
Buy-in from national stakeholders provides confidence for regulators (EU) and buyers

9. Structure of Lao FLEGT STEERING COMMITTEE Stakeholder Representatives:
STANDING OFFICE
Head: Director of Division of DOFI
STEERING COMMITTEE
Chairman: Minister/Vice Minister of MAF
Vice Minister of MOIC and MONRE
DGs of DOFI, PMO, MOIC, MOJ, MOFA, ……
Stakeholder Representatives:
Government Private Sector
Civil Society Academia
Experts
Technical Working Group
Timber Legality Definition/Timber Legality Assurance System
Thematic Expert Groups
Prepare drafts for Timber Legality Definition

10. Lao CSO Network

11. Civil Society in FLEGT

12. Benefits of CSO Engagement
Experiences of the local communities are reflected in the negotiation process
Promotes transparency, access to information, and reduction of corruption
Builds trust and cooperation between stakeholders
Keeps civil society involved to support enforcement and monitoring following signing of the VPA
Strengthens CSO capacities for future collaboration

13. Land Tenure and FLEGT TLD Standards and Land Tenure:
1: Production forest: Communities will be involved in Production forest and harvest area deliniation and harvest planning; impact assessments
2: Conversion areas: ESIAs and IEEs will be conducted with community involvement; compensation for impacts will be required as a condition of timber legality
3: Plantations: Promoting smallholder plantations will promote land registration/titling; Large plantations will require impact assessments

14. Land Tenure and FLEGT Land Tenure and CSO engagement:
CSOs are involved in land governance initiatives:
LIWG
LIFE
LSSWG
Land Law Revision
Forest Law Revision
Many projects to promote land tenure / registration
CSOs promote strong tenure for forest-dependent communities

15. Recommendations
The FLEGT VPA process is robust, open, and will result in a framework for forest / timber management
Alternative licensing / monitoring initiatives should contribute to the VPA process – not distract from it
The CSOs engaged in the VPA process have strong ownership and recognition from stakeholders in the process
Efforts to support civil society should work with and through the existing framework without distracting from their ongoing contributions

16. Thank you