An overview of IM FLEG implementation in the Congo Bassin

Serge Christian MOUKOURI FLAG

Yaoundé, Cameroon

Presentation key points

• An insight about FLAG • What is Independent Monitoring? • How does it work? • What are its main results? • Challenges and opportunities • How FLAG is acting?

An insight about FLAG

• Cameroon based CSO with regional scope of intervention founded in 2012 by a group of experts in IM

• Our Vision : African society where good governance

principles are applied to forestry resources valorization, so that countries have means to assure their sustainability and their social, economic and ecological development.

• Our Mission: o Provide technical support to CSOs

involved in independent monitoring implementation ;

o Analyze and disseminate information related to compliance and enforcement of laws governing the forest sector with a regional perspective.

Independent Monitoring?

• a constructive approach involving governments, the international donor community, the private sector and civil society.

• a practical tool supporting work towards curbing illegal and unjust exploitation of natural resources.

• an effective tool to support governments committed to clean up a sector and acknowledged problems of corruption

• 2 main types: Mandated Independent

Monitoring: used already in several countries before VPAs were negotiated (formal)

Local or international CSO led : Self-mandated Independent Monitoring also called External Independent Monitoring

Formal & civil society led

Formal & civil society led

Civil society led

Formal Civil society led

How does it work?

AGREEMENT ON SPECIFIC ToR

MOU WITH GOVERNMENT REP

ISSUANCE OF MISSION ORDER (permanent or periodic)

FIELD MISSIONS (independent or joint)

REPORTS WRITING

READING COMMITTEE

PUBLICATION

Some results of IM

• Identification of different aspects of illegal logging activities:

Logs laundering Cutting above authorised

volume Cutting out of boundary Tax evasion Violation of communities

right

• Diagnostic of problems affecting forest law enforcement, forestry control and better compliance to existing laws

• Provide reliable information on forest sector

• Capacity building of national CSO and law enforcement officials on monitoring of forest sector

Challenges and opportunities

Challenges • Delay in publication and

government action or reaction • Withdrawal of international

NGO from the direct implementation

• Increasing national concern on illegal forest activities

• How to insure credibility of IM undertaken by host country civil society?

• Funding: suitable mechanism?

opportunities Potential information

source • VPA - LAS • EUTR • Lacey act • AILPB Because of credibility of

published information due to Access to sites and documents Observe agents In situ Direct formal exchanges with

government

An example of how informations from Independent Monitoring have

been used

• Even if well address at national level, IM information can also be used at international level to raise awareness

• Case of TIL log exportation in violation of log export ban by falsifying logs marks

• Highlighting the flaws of due diligence mechanism : The evidence contained in reports published by the FLEG were used by journalists to show that the buyer did not question the legality of the products that he introduced on the European market via France

Panorama Jungle Outlaws The Chainsaw Trail BBC documentary ...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9pL9meZNYw Prime time broadcast in UK

How is FLAG acting?

In situ Capacities building

Information management

Solid partnership or

networking

Link with international initiatives to curb illegal

logging

Questions?

Thanks flagorganisation@gmail.com