FAO-EU FLEGT Programme is now Accepting Project Proposals

Deadline: 8 September 2019

The FAO-EU FLEGT Programme is now accepting project proposals from government institutions, civil society and private sector organizations in countries engaged in VPAs with the EU.

The FAO-EU FLEGT Programme supports implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan targeting assistance to stakeholders in tropical timber producing countries. Phase III of the Programme was launched in 2016 and is operational until 2021. The geographical scope of the Programme includes two groups of countries:

• Countries engaged in a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU; and
• Other eligible timber producing countries, which are not engaged in a VPA with the EU.

Eligible Countries

The following countries are eligible to submit proposals during the present process:

• Africa: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon,  Ghana, Liberia,  Republic of the Congo
• Asia: Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam
• Americas: Guyana, Honduras

Priorities

• Cameroon
  • The monitoring of forest activities is strengthened – Identify, improve and promote existing tools and interfaces for collecting and sharing information on the forestry sector
  • Strengthen the collaboration and the synergies of action between the representatives of the various administrations, with regard to the report of infractions and the monitoring of forest-related litigations
  • Strengthen the information of local actors and the transparency of administrative monitoring procedures in the deployment of community forestry
• Central African Republic
  • Progress in the legal and regulatory framework and strategic planning of community forestry
  • Support the accountability of actors and the transparency of transactions in the allocation and use of forest royalties for municipalities
  • Support the implementation of EUTR monitoring by competent authorities
  • Contribute to the formulation of forest policy
  • Strengthen aspects of forest management and governance in CAR’s contribution to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement
• Côte d’Ivoire
  • Support initiatives to improve transparency by all stakeholders
  • Support the formalization of the domestic market, and the structuring of the private sector
  • Support initiatives to combat deforestation and forest degradation in the cocoa sector
  • Encourage the implementation of reforestation
• Congo
  • Support the implementation of the Legality Assurance System (LAS)
  • Improve the transparency of the forestry sector
  • Support the revision of the regulatory framework
  • Strengthen the involvement of all stakeholders in forest management
  • Support the private sector in its participation in the VPA process
  • Conduct studies as part of the monitoring and evaluation of the 2018-2022 plan
• Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Improve the transparency of the forestry sector
  • Contribute to the coordination of actors and initiatives for the formulation of forest policy
  • Strengthen aspects of forest management and governance in the DRC’s contribution to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement
• Gabon
  • Support strengthening of local value added in the wood sector
  • Promote the legality of logging through the effective application of CITES
  • Establish practical communication interfaces allowing operational links with the competent authorities in charge of monitoring the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR)
  • Engage in reflection on the implementation of a national traceability system
• Ghana
  • Private Sector Capacity Building to comply with Ghana LAS
  • Addressing bottlenecks in the domestic market for legal timber
• Guyana
  • Strategic Task 3: GTLAS Developed and Operational
  • Strategic Task 4: Capacities of stakeholders developed to implement the VPA
  • Strategic Task 6: Stakeholder engagement, coordination, and outreach in place
  • Strategic Task 7: VPA-FLEGT connected and supported actions
• Honduras
  • Specific objective 1: Develop the conditions and mechanisms for participation and follow-up for the implementation of the FLEGT VPA
  • Specific objective 2: Strengthening the inter-institutional coordination of the VPA, aimed at the implementation of plans and strategies
  • Specific objective 3: Support for the participation and strengthening of civil society and Indigenous and Afro-Honduran Peoples (PIAH) in the social audit for the application of the Legality Assurance System (SALH) to consolidate forest governance
  • Specific objective 4: Strengthening of capacities in the private forest sector, for the promotion of legality and development of the competitiveness of the forestry sector
  • Specific objective 5: Optimize administrative procedures and means of control and monitoring for verification
• Indonesia
  • Strengthen the implementation of the SVLK, in particular activities that supports continued uptake of SVLK by Small and Medium Enterprises (including household industries)
  • Strengthen implementation of the SVLK through capacity building for local stakeholders especially the Independent Forest Monitoring function of the SVLK
  • Strengthen communication on SVLK and FLEGT VPA through:
• Lao People’s Democratic Republic
  • The development of the Timber Legality Definition (TLD) and Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS)
  • Activities to support the implementation of new / revised regulations related to FLEGT
  • Promoting the participatory process and governance in the country
  • Engage stakeholders to conduct research, assessments and field testing related to VPA priorities
• Liberia
  • Support to Forest Communities with a specific and justified focus on most vulnerable and at risk communities
  • Promoting transparency and good governance of VPA process
• Malaysia
  • Further strengthening of MYTLAS, Sabah TLAS and Sarawak Timber Legality Verification System through:
    • participatory legal or regulatory framework development,
    • field tests and
    • technical reviews;
  • Support to public information processes
  • Awareness raising activities
  • Promotion and facilitation of TLAS implementation through:
    • improved linkages and synergies with Sustainable Forest Management and REDD+ initiatives, and
    • opportunities for harmonization with other relevant national initiatives/priorities in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.
• Thailand
  • Support to the EU-Thai VPA negotiation process and stakeholder engagement
  • Promote awareness raising and better understanding of Thai Timber Legality and FLEGT
  • Engage stakeholders to conduct research, field testing, capacity building related to VPA priorities
  • Support ongoing reform, processes and systems that complement and support VPA priorities
  • Technical support to stakeholders on providing VPA annexes
• Viet Nam
  • To support application of the key elements of VNTLAS
  • Activities to support capacity building on compliance with VNTLAS
  • Strengthen communication through:
    • Information and communication programs, including VPA-FLEGT forum events to raise awareness and obtain feedback from local stakeholders, and targeting the domestic market to reduce consumption of natural forest timber products etc.
  • To support the adoption of timber industry standards

Funding Information

Budget submission will be in local currency. Maximum budget per project should not exceed 110,000USD equivalent (in every country’s local currency).

Eligibility criteria

In order to benefit from a Programme grant, the following general conditions must be fulfilled:

• The applicant must be registered in an eligible country (see list of eligible countries above) where the project is implemented;
• The proposal is realistic and feasible considering the proposed budget and time allocation (maximum 12 months and 110,000 USD equivalents);
• The applicant must be a government institution, a civil society organization, an organization/federation of the private sector  or an indigenous and/or tribal group;
• The proposal must identify a national priority as listed above;
• The proposal is complete and follows the required format;
• All actions should take place in the country/ies where the applicant is based and/or directly operates. Applicant must also be actively involved in all stages of implementation.

How to Apply

Proposals are written in English, French or Spanish. They should be submitted by email at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit http://www.fao.org/in-action/eu-fao-flegt-programme/available-assistance/2019-call-for-proposals/en/