JAKARTA, investor.id – The Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA) between Indonesia and the United Kingdom was signed on March 29, 2019 and continues to be strengthened through the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (FGMC) Stakeholder Forum on 27-28 April 2022 in London held by the British government.

Uk Government Minister who handles International Enviroment and Climate, and UK Animal Welfare and Forests Lord Zac Goldsmith expressed his appreciation for the achievement of improving forest governance in Indonesia.

"The Uk government will continue to encourage the implementation of the Indonesia-UK VPA FLEGT because this is a form of the UK's commitment to improve forest governance and fight illegal and unsustainable timber trade," he said in a press statement received by Investor Daily, in Jakarta, Wednesday (11/5).

Through the FGMC forum, he emphasized the importance of expanding forest governance improvements to gain joint support between producing countries and consumer countries to create a sustainable world timber trade.

Director General of Sustainable Forest Management of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Agus Justianto said that the implementation of the Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK) has increased exports of forest products by 80% in the last 13 years, even during the pandemic in 2021, it scored an export value of more than US$ 13 billion.

In addition, improved forest governance has reduced illegal logging by 60% in the last 15 years and in parallel reduced deforestation rates by 75% in the past 3 years.

The implementation of the Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK) provides an important message how a national standard is built mandatorily to ensure the dilution and sustainability of forest products.

"SVLK is a tangible manifestation of how global cooperation encourages the improvement of Indonesia's forest governance and is very important to strengthen understanding and collaboration at the global level," he said.

Secretary General of the Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association (APHI) Purwadi Soeprihanto fully supports efforts to expand the recognition and acceptance of SVLK at the global level in line with the cooperation that has been running through flegt VPA with the European Union and the United Kingdom.