APEC Expert Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT)

DENR 13 RD Tamayo looks at confiscated lumber

DENR-13 RD Tamayo with confiscated illegal lumber products (Photo source: Caraga DENR Website)

APEC EGILAT in Cebu City, 22 August 2015 (Photo source: Forest Policy Section, FMB)

The Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT) is a new body within APEC under the SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation. EGILAT’s mission is to foster sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region by enhancing the efforts of member economies to take concrete steps to combat illegal logging and associated trade and promote trade in legally harvested forest products.

EGILAT was established in 2011 in response to commitments made by the APEC Leaders in 2010, and under direction of APEC ministers responsible for trade in 2011.

The first meeting of APEC EGILAT was held in Moscow 9-10 February 2012. The meeting timetable follows the APEC program for the first and third SOM in each year. During the meeting, member economies agreed to draft the initial Workplan for the EGILAT with a view to approving it at the group’s next meeting.

The Expert Group meets twice a year.

Focal Office:: Forest Management Bureau (FMB)
Date Launched:: 2011
Focal Persons:: Technical Representative
FOR. RICARDO L. CALDERON
       Director
       DENR - Forest Management Bureau
       Tel. Nos. - (632) 928 9313 / 927 4788

Alternate Representative
FOR. RAUL M. BRIZ
       Chief, Forest Protection Section, Forest Resources Conservation Division
       DENR - Forest Management Bureau
       Tel. Nos. - (632) 927 2491 / 928 2891

Commitments:: Leaders committed to work to implement appropriate measures to prohibit trade in illegally harvested forest products and undertake additional activities in APEC to combat illegal logging and associated trade and also to provide a mechanism for effective information sharing in promoting legal trade of timber and other forest products. On 8 October 2013 in Bali, APEC Foreign and Trade Ministers reaffirmed their strong commitment to increase forest cover in the APEC region by 20 million hectares by 2020 as outlined by APEC Leaders in 2007.
Status / Updates:: The 7th and 8th EGILAT Meeting was hosted by the Philippines and chaired by China.

The major outputs on EGILAT 7 were: 1) deliberated on the APEC policy guidelines in identifying the scope of illegal logging and associated timber trade; 2) worked for EGILAT Template on Timber Legality Guidance both intercessionally; 3) approved EGILAT 2015 Work Plan; and 4) facilitated joint meetings with the ACTWG and SCCP to the 8th EGILAT meeting.

For EGILAT 8, two major documents were agreed upon by consensus by all APEC economies, 1.) Common Understanding of the Scope of Illegal Logging and Associated Trade and 2.) EGILAT Timber Legality Guidance Template.
Latest Activities:: EGILAT 8
Joint EGILAT-Sub-Committee on Customs Procedure (SCCP) Meeting
August 24, 2015
Cebu, Philippines

Joint EGILAT- Anti-Corruption Transparency Working Group (ACTWG) Meeting
August 25, 2015

Cebu, Philippines
Attended by: Philippine Delegation headed by USEC Demetrio Ignacio Jr.
Sources / Relevant Links:: http://www.apec.org/Home/Groups/SOM-Steering-Committee-on-Economic-and-Technical-Cooperation/Working-Groups/Illegal-Logging-and-Associated-Trade.aspx

This Page was updated on Thursday, 10 December 2015 19:54