
The Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation Meeting was held from the 19th to 20th of June this year at the Chatham House in London. This event was organized with the support of the UK Department for International Development, and the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme. The event was part of a series of illegal logging update meetings, bringing together 250 participants from different industries and governments.
The meeting provided an update on global efforts to improve forest governance and reduce illegal logging. The participants focused on approaches from around the world on timber trade regulations, an update on the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) action plan and Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) countries, as well as developments in China to tackle trade in illegal timber and improve transparency through forest monitoring and satellite technology. Li Shuming from the State Forestry Administration of China delivered a keynote speech. Other speakers presented topics from Progress with Vietnam’s VPA to developments of Timber trade regulations. The meeting was held in English, French, and Mandarin with simultaneous interpretation. The meeting summary is provided here.