APV Flegt Congo

ONF International, in consortium with NIRAS Finland OY, is pleased to assume the mission of facilitating the European Union FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement in Congo.

André Soufflot, has assumed the position of facilitator of the FLEGT VPA in Brazzaville, since October 2023 and for a period of 3 years, on behalf of ONF International.

Interview (in French) with André Soufflot in P8 of this communication document

▶ In Congo, VPA negotiations began in 2010. The VPA entered into force in 2013.

✔ Over the past 10 years, significant progress has been made in the disclosure of information on the forest sector and the inclusion of civil society in legal reform processes.
✔ The multi-stakeholder participation process in the development of the new forest code adopted in 2020, which recognizes for the first time the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in participation in forest governance, constitutes a major achievement. However, civil society continues to face difficulties in meaningfully participating and influencing decision-making, and local authorities are failing.
✔ The latest progress has focused on the revision of the sectoral legal and normative framework, the development of a Computerized Legality Verification System (SIVL), the establishment of an independent audit of the system (AIS) and the organization of mandated and non-mandated independent observation (IO).

To have a look on the achievements of the last 10 years.