ICFPA-WBCSD-FAO SIDE-EVENT (COFO) SUMMARY

Rome, Italy, April 8, 2005

The side-event was moderated by Armando Cafiero (Assocarta-Italy) on behalf of ICFPA. Some 40 persons attended the meeting (participation list attached) representing different interest groups and parts of the world.
 
Markku Simula started the meeting by giving an overview of the current situation with respect to certification, its development, spreading rate, existing systems, etc. and identified challenges to its expansion in the developing countries and countries with tropical forests.
 
His presentation was followed by the Asian views on challenges to certification development illustrating this mostly with the Malaysian Timber Council Certification example, given by Mr. Tham (Malaysian Timber Council).
 
Mr. Tabacof (Bracelpa) gave an overview of the developments of certification in South America, with a special focus on Brazil. He stressed the environmental, social and economic advantages of forest certification. His presentation also enumerated critical points to be overcome to facilitate the expansion of certification in South America and considered the potential role of the private sector in addressing this.
 
The concluding presentation was made by Mr. Huet (ATIBT) who highlighted ongoing activities but also the constraints with respect to the development of certification on the African continent and specifically underlined the role of the private sector in Africa.
 
It appears that challenges to certification expansion involve technical, financial, political and human resources.
 
In the following discussion time, the question of bringing small landowners in the system was raised: State support, group certification, and other mechanisms were presented as options to attract small holdings in the certification process.
 
FSC questioned the need to focus on quantitative expansion of certification (in terms of certified surfaces) rather than on the quality of certification and its impact on markets. He illustrated this by mentioning that FSC products already represented some $3 billion worldwide.
 
Both from the presentations and the following discussion, it appeared that “mutual recognition” (in the sense of equivalence among credible certification schemes and peaceful coexistence) was still very much looked after in all regions, as tensions among certification systems were seen as an obstacle to certification’s expansion.
 
Kit Prins (UNECE) asked the panellists for their views on the role of governments with respect to certification and announced that UNECE and FAO would hold a meeting on that issue in Autumn 2005.
 
Bernard de Galembert
Forest Director
CEPI
8 April 2005