Republic of Congo: The results of the ATIBT contribution for the project « Support to the implementation of the VPA FLEGT in Congo »

The first phase of the project « Support to the implementation of the VPA FLEGT in the Republic of Congo » financed by AFD consisted in providing main technical assistance. The activities of this phase, which was managed by FRMi, in partnership with ATIBT, started in 2016 and ended in December 2018.

The project « Support to the implementation of the VPA FLEGT »

A financing agreement has been signed between the Ministry of Forest Economy and Sustainable Development (MEFDD) and the French Development Agency to finance this project.
A contract to provide main technical assistance was signed on November 10, 2015 between MEFEDD and FRMi design office, coordinator of the consortium FRMi-ATIBT.
The contribution of ATIBT in this consortium was to facilitate relations and partnerships with the private sector in order to mobilize them and involve them in the dialogue with the State of the Republic of Congo.

Other actors including TEREA and OBBOIS contributed to other objectives of this project.

The partnership agreement between ATIBT and FRMi signed in February 2016 mobilized ATIBT experts to implement this technical support.

12 support missions were carried out between February 2016 and November 2018
5 mini projects with UNIBOIS and UNICONGO unions were carried out since 2017

ATIBT’s contributions to the project « Support to the implementation of the VPA FLEGT » were fundamental to:

Improve the involvement of forest companies in the VPA FLEGT process, in particular to actively involve the private sector in the review of new regulatory texts and documents of the LAS, and to facilitate the operationalization of SIVL (Computer System of the Verification of Legality),
Promote professional associations and catalyze the active participation of companies that are not yet affiliated with associations,
Enable societies to become aware of the role they can play in the implementation of the Legality Assurance System,
Bridging professional associations and the private sector with the administration.

What remains to be done about the operational implementation of the VPA FLEGT?

Studies on the SIVL have shown that its finalization and its operationalization will still require significant human and material investments,
The advocacy activity common to the profession is still at an embryonic stage and will require strong support for its structural organization.

The ATIBT recommendations for Phase 2:

ATIBT should still be able to be present and get more involved in strengthening professional associations in organizing its advocacy activities,
Several steps and significant investments will still be needed to operationalize the SIVL.

For more information about this project, do not hesitate to contact the ATIBT and visit its dedicated page
For more information on the FLEGT VPA in the Republic of Congo, click here