EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND PARTNERSHIP INSTRUMENT

EAST COUNTRIES FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNANCE II

PROGRAM (ENPI EAST COUNTRIES FLEG II PROGRAM)

Comments to Armenia CWP

Steering Committee MeetingOctober 1, 2013

Crowne Plaza Hotel, MinskPrepared by Arusyak Alaverdyan

The purpose of the presentation

The purpose of this presentation is to answer the following four questions:

1.What are the links with the results from FLEG 1?

2.Why are the proposed country activities strategic?

3.How do they correspond to a global strategy?

4.What are the potential synergies with other country programs?

What are the links with results from FLEG1FLEG1 FLEG2

Area 1 - Increased awareness and commitment of key stakeholders on FLEG

Area 3 - Public awareness and public monitoring of the forests

Area 2 - Effective national and regional FLEG action processes in place

Area 4 - Improved regional and sub-regional collaboration and knowledge sharing

Area 7 - Sustainable forest management practices implemented

Area 4 - Strengthening sustainable forest management in Armenia through activities with model forest units

Area 3 - Increased national ownership and capacity

Area 1 – Legal and institutional review

Area 2 - Building human resource capacity to address FLEG issues

Area 5 - Effective engagement of key trading partners

Area 6 - Continuation of the formal official Europe-North Asia FLEG process

Area 5 - Improving the FLEG planning and monitoring at the national, regional (local) and international levels

Why are proposed country activities strategic?

The Government’s strategy (Armenia Development Strategy 2013-2025) in addition to efforts for improving the rates of economic growth envisages measures to reduce as much as possible associated environmental risks. In particular: • environmental risks associated with the expansion of the mining industry

as a result of higher prices for metals in international markets;• illegal forest logging resulting from higher gas prices;• overexploitation of water resources due to rapid development of

subsectors using underground water resources and as a result of climate change;

• increased desertification risk. Moreover, the Government plans to improve and strengthen

climate resiliency of the sectors most affected by climate change, including agriculture, energy, and forestry.

Also, improvement of control mechanisms against illegal logging parallel to forest plantation and restoration activities is envisaged.

How do they correspond to a global strategy?

The EU FLEGT Action Plan is part of a global strategy that has an objective to discover new scientific knowledge to environmental problems including forest management.

Sustainable forest management, including dealing with the issue of illegal logging (FLEG) and related trade in illegal timber (FLEGT), both within and outside the EC, is the EU policy as part of its involvement in the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The following five directions were identified as priority topics to be elaborated on throughout Phase II of the ENPI FLEG program:

Because of quite significant discrepancies in the different legislative documents regarding the forestry field, there is a need for legal and institutional review and reforms.

Building human resource capacity to address FLEG issues, including need for education and knowledge exchange (forestry specialists, journalists, university lecturers and students, as well as internationally between ENPI FLEG countries and with EU member states), training of trainers (TOT) programs.

Public awareness and public monitoring of the forestry sector. Strengthening sustainable forest management in Armenia

through activities with model forest units such as forest protected areas and activities on sustainable use of forest resources with involvement of adjacent communities.

Improving the FLEG planning and monitoring at the national, regional (local) and international levels.

What are the potential synergies with other country programs?

Examples: Azerbaijan CWP includes a priority activity “to

develop modifications and amendments to the relevant laws and normative legal acts”;

Similarly, Russia CWP has a priority area “Building up human resource capacity to address FLEG issues”;

Georgia CWP indicates as a priority area “Human resource capacity building”;

Moldova CWP includes “Piloting a inter-communal forest entity (ICFE) to enhance economic activities and involvement of local population in forestry activities”; and

Ukraine CWP has a priority activity “Dissemination of Knowledge and Training, Support to Decision-making”.

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