Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process in the Central and West Africa: from theory to practice

The year 2013 marked the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, so it seemed timely to reflect on the aspects that had worked well over the past ten years – and those that had worked less well – to draw the main lessons. The FAO FLEGT Programme thus started to analyze the experience of the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process. The Regional Conference on “Experiences from the VPA Process in West and Central African Countries”, held in Ghana in October 2012, represented a first step toward sharing these experiences: for the first time, all of the VPA countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America met together to discuss the progress achieved and the lessons learned. Since then, the FAO FLEGT Programme has continued to examine the approaches, the factors of success and the challenges encountered by VPA countries, particularly in West and Central Africa, which is the region where the first VPAs were negotiated and signed. Seven years after the first negotiations were initiated, the first FLEGT licence has yet to be issued. The implementation of the agreements has turned out to be more complicated than anticipated; in turn, a number of challenges must be addressed and major efforts must still be made. Even so, the negotiation and conclusion of VPAs have led to significant progress in improving forest governance. The present study is intended to document and foster strategic reflection in partner countries already engaged in negotiating a VPA – or those who will be entering into such negotiations – by providing examples of “good practices”. These good practices were identified and recorded following interviews with the main stakeholders in the eight VPA countries in West and Central Africa, the European Forest Institute’s (EFI) EU FLEGT Facility and the European Commission. A literature review then complemented the survey work carried out on the ground. The present document thus highlights a range of possible ways of meeting the challenges facing VPA countries. However, these “good” experiences come from a variety of contexts. As such, countries engaging in the VPA process should take these practices as useful guidelines, but should remember that a practice that is positive in one country will not necessarily provide the most appropriate solution in another. Lastly, this study is not exhaustive and should be updated as and when new lessons are learned and new data become available. Chapter 1 considers lessons drawn from the pre-negotiation phase, focusing on the following issues: mobilization of stakeholders, awareness-raising and consultation, assessment of the present situation and the emergence of a national consensus. Chapter 2 addresses the issues raised regarding the VPA negotiation phase: mobilizing stakeholders (participation and consultation), capacity-building for stakeholders, improving access to information, adapting the development of the Legality Assurance System (LAS) to the local context, and adopting a differentiated approach for domestic and industrial production. For each of these issues, a rapid analysis is proposed, accompanied by examples taken from the experience of VPA countries in West and Central Africa. Recommended good practices are then suggested for each issue.