INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS & INITIATIVES

The topic of illegal logging has been discussed in many international institutions in recent years. In addition to the EU's FLEGT process, the regional FLEG conferences, the Asia Forest Partnership, ITTO and FAO (all of which have separate sections - see left-hand menu), these include:

* The UN Forum on Forests, established in 2000 to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

* The UN Economic Commission for Europe, which provides a forum for communication among states, brokers international legal instruments addressing trade, transport and the environment, and supplies statistics and economic and environmental analysis.

* The Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE), launched in 1990 to produce recommendations for the protection and sustainable management on forests in Europe.

* Conferences of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

* The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002. The run-up to the WSSD saw the formation of the Asia Forest Partnership and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership - two international partnerships, bringing together national governments, international institutions and civil society groups, with objectives which included tackling illegal logging.

* The World Trade Organization's (WTO) Committee on Trade and Environment.

Sub sections:

• CITES
• FAO / UN
• FLEG
• G8
• ITTO
• World Bank
• Other organisations & initiatives