Bogor, October 25, 2012. The Independent Forestry Monitoring Network (JPIK) emphasizes the need to check in the European Union for imported wood products to ensure that acceptable wood products are clearly the origin of harvesting and guaranteed legality.

The JPIK statement was conveyed in connection with the implementation of a shipment test involving 17 companies carried out in 4 (four) major ports namely Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta and Belawan Port in Medan. The shipment test activity was carried out on October 15, 2012 until the end of November 2012 which was aimed at 9 EU member countries. Shipment test activities are part of the Indonesia-EU negotiations related to FLEGT VPA, a collaboration in law enforcement and governance in the forestry sector, and its trade.

“Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Emas and Tanjung Priok are ports that have poor records regarding black businesses smuggling non-finishing wood overseas which are put into containers by falsifying information in the export goods document (PEB). Wood which is put in containers in the form of sawn timber and logs, where wood and wood products are not allowed to be exported under Indonesian rules. This is a challenge for the Timber Legality Verification Agency (LVLK) which will be tasked with issuing V-Legal Documents for wood products produced by the forestry industry, “said Hapsoro, Director of Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI), which coincides with the shipment test.

The SVLK was developed with the aim of ensuring that wood and wood products can be verified to ensure that wood products are produced only from legal or sustainable sources. SVLK has been developed since 2003 through a multi-party process. The SVLK is mandatory for all wood and wood products from natural forests, plantations and community or community forests.

“All business actors in the forestry sector must fulfill their obligations in implementing the SVLK as stipulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Forestry P38 / 2009 juncto P68 / 2011, including in accordance with the deadline. The government must ensure this and take decisive steps in the event that business actors do not carry out their obligations, “said Abu Meridian, JPIK National Dynamics.

Abu Meridian further emphasized that the European Union as a consumer country must be serious in ensuring that wood products originating from Indonesia are properly ascertained from legal sources. This is a form of action and commitment to the responsibility of the consumer country. In addition, the EU Timber Regulation must also provide firmness regarding the status of products that have guaranteed legality regarding VPA cooperation agreements.

“Without the firmness of the Indonesian Government and the European Union Government, the commitment to encourage strengthening of forest governance including the trade in wood products produced will only take the form of toothless policies without future clarity for forests and the welfare of people who depend on forest resources.”

For further information, please contact:

Abu Meridian, Dinamisator JPIK
Phone: +62 857 157 667 32
E-mail: abu.meridian@gmail.com

NOTE FOR EDITORS

  • The Timber Legality Verification Standard (SVLK) is a requirement to fulfill the timber legality / product made based on the agreement of forestry stakeholders which includes standards, criteria, indicators, verifiers, verification methods, and assessment norms.
  • The Sustainable Production Forest Management Performance Assessment System is a series of PHPL performance appraisal processes and Timber Legality Verification for timber concession holders that contain standards, criteria, verifiers, verification methods, and assessment norms.
  • JPIK is an Independent Forest Monitoring Network that was agreed and declared on 23 September 2010 by 29 NGOs and NGO Networks from Aceh to Papua. The establishment of JPIK is a manifestation of its commitment to actively contribute in promoting good forestry governance by ensuring credibility and accountability of the implementation of a system of Performance Assessment of Sustainable Production Forest Management (PK-PHPL) and Timber Legality Verification (VLK) as stated – but not limited to -Permenhut P38 / 2009 jo P68 / 2011 and its derivative regulations.
  • JPIK until the end of October 2012 consisted of 41 institutions and 259 individuals. JPIK has the role of monitoring the implementation of SVLK, from the accreditation process, assessment / verification of business actors, to the process of implementing exports. The results of JPIK monitoring have been delivered both in the form of input to the audit institution and in the form of complaints / complaints to ensure the credibility of the SVLK.

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Indonesia dan Uni Eropa Harus Tegas dalam Memastikan Perdagangan Produk Kayu secara Legal

Indonesia and European Union Should Ensure The Trading of Legal Timber Products