The voluntary and independent concession monitoring system in Central Africa – known as the FORCOMS initiative – has taken a step forward.
Two working meetings were held in Paris in April where progress since the concept was launched in 2004 was discussed. This included the results of the initial field tests, conducted in Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, in relation to the FORCOMS pre-selected indicators.
The need to better define the expected products to clarify how FORCOMS fits in with other complementary initiatives in progress was also debated along with the organisational, operational and financial structures required to ensure its proper functioning.
At the second meeting it was reiterated that FORCOMS is to be a tool for progressive forest companies in Central Africa to show their commitment to legal forest operations and progress towards sustainable forest operations.
FORCOMS is a preparatory tool for FLEGT and certification and there is an urgent need to get the system operational.
A provisional budget for the next three years is estimated to be €1.5m, but an additional €2m would be required for the audits of around 50 companies by accredited organisations.
Present donors from France and Germany have expressed their strong interest in developing the system and WWF has confirmed its support provided audits are carried out by independent auditors and that FORCOMS does not compete against the WWF producer group initiative which is the only one that can use the WWF logo.
