FLEGT Asia.2014-2023, European Forest Institute

The following are some examples of achieved results. At Regional Level, Sida's support of European Forest Institute (EFI)'s regional engagement in the context of the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Facility. There are some concrete achievements and products worth mentioning in this respect, such as: A policy impact is the Standard for Legality of Timber for the The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States supported by EFI. The Standard is a revision of the 2009 ASEAN Criteria and Indicators on Timber Legality. The standard was approved by the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (ASOF) and endorsed by the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in October 2020. The Standard was adopted by ASOF in 2020. It is a voluntary Standard that ASEAN Member States are committed to following. Several countries in the region have developed timber legality assurance systems that are guided by the Standard. Noteworthy examples are Indonesia, Thailand, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. Furthermore, at the Ninth Regional Workshop on Timber Legality Assurance in December 2023, the Philippines reported developing a National Forest Stocks Monitoring System, a timber tracking system based on the ASEAN timber legality criteria. Countries in the region are also using the Standard as a framework for defining Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) at the national level and assessing progress towards this goal. Based on this, the ASEAN working group on forest management has started an initiative to revise ASEANs Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Framework (MAR) on SFM that was developed in 2007 but due to its complexity was not used. The new MAR will combine elements of the ASEAN SFM standard and ASEAN Standard for Legality of Timber with the international reporting obligations of each Member State. In this way, ASEAN will soon have an agreed, practical, and objective monitoring framework for the regions advancement towards sustainable forest management, which is a novel development. It is expected that the new MAR will be endorsed by the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry later this year (2024). At country level, in Thailand, EFI supported the development of supply chain controls for native timber from private land. Swedish's support focused on making these controls feasible for small-scale farmers and sawmills while maintaining an acceptable level of traceability. EFI worked with tree growers, sawmills, Thailand's Royal Forest Department (RFD), and other relevant stakeholders to test the Self Declaration (SD) as a control option on the ground and feed information to the Private Land Sub-Working Group of the Thailand-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) process. Field tests were conducted in 3 provinces and resulted in more simplified information requirements for the benefit of the tree growers who want to sell their trees. This is a significant nationwide policy impact as timber from private lands is the main source of timber in Thailand. Furthermore, EFI increased local understanding and confidence in using the SD by facilitating field visits and training by policymakers to farmers groups, and recently, EFI organized 3 national trainings for Thai stakeholders on the legal requirements for wood products with a focus on the SD. EFI built pilots based on the SD to demonstrate that it is a useful tool for farmers to improve their livelihood by engaging in legal timber trade. Interviews during the 3rd party evaluation of Sida's support to EFI showed that the SD is reducing corruption in the forest sector at the local level. In terms of gender equality, the intervention produced a number of results. For example, at the individual level, several women-led and family-based businesses in Attapeu province, Lao PDR, have gained confidence in approaching new customers at trade fairs or exhibitions and collaborating with government agencies. In Thailand, women were able to obtain timber processing and trade permits, which increased their economic opportunities, including online marketplaces and household livelihood security. At community level, in Thailand, Ban Sop Li Tree Bank Community Enterprise and the Reclaimed Timber Network have set an example of women's leadership and economic empowerment. The group's female members have actively facilitated and coordinated the majority of activities with partners and markets, leveraging the skill sets, knowledge, and networks provided by EFI. In addition, the EFI project team promoted gender equality at the organizational level by conducting a gender-awareness workshop for global EFI staff. The workshop generated discussions on mainstreaming gender equality in EFIs work and critically assessed EFIs Equality Plan. In following up with strengthening gender integration at institutional level, EFI has contacted Sida's Gender Helpdesk to support strategic reflection within its International Partnerships Facility (IPF) to improve gender integration in current and future projects and programs. EFI is seeking support to mainstream gender and women's economic empowerment in the IPF's global work, as well as to strengthen the organization's efforts to promote gender equality. The institutionalization of gender equality in the organization is an impact of Sidas engagement and contribution to EFI. Furthermore, sharing lessons learned with policymakers and incorporating the interests and concerns of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and smallholder growers into policy processes resulted in some tangible policy outcomes. The following are some noteworthy examples of policy impacts: - Reclaimed timber is now recognized as a legal source of timber in Thailand's Timber Legality Assurance System, and transportation requirements along the supply chain have been simplified. Overall, EFI's activities improved policymakers' awareness and perceptions of reclaimed timber. This impact enables reclaimed timber operators across the country, many of whom are women-led micro-enterprises, to legally process and sell recycled products. - The self-declaration for timber from private land has been simplified and made more operationally practical, allowing smallholders in Thailand to participate in legal supply chains easier. As stated above, this impact was realized by connecting policymakers to the realities of smallholders and MSMEs on the ground. Both policy impacts contributed to the perceived reduction in corruption, as highlighted by a third-party evaluation of the Forest Smallholders Project.

Overall objective: To contribute to poverty eradication and sustainable forest management in Asia. Outcome objectives: 1. Increased institutional dialogue on timber legality and trade in different regional forums and platforms. 2. Synergies among regional/ASEAN policies and FLEGT Action Plan to strengthen political support for eliminating illegal timber trade and promoting legal consumption in regional trade are identified. 3. Support mechanisms enabling SMEs to comply with changing market requirements are defined and piloted.