Voluntary Partnership Agreement Workshop For Journalists

The National Working Group on Forest Certification has organised a workshop in Accra aimed at sensitizing the media to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, VPA. The VPA is a bilateral agreement between the European Union and timber exporting countries such as Ghana to ensure that timber or timber products imported into the EU have been legally acquired, harvested and transported. The Director of the Timber Validation Department of the Forestry Commission, Chris Berko, who was the main resource person pledged the commitment of the Forestry Commission to work to complete all that is required to deliver on the VPA. He said his outfit is currently working to bring on board an independent monitor on the Timber Validation Committee to resolve complaints that come up under the Timber Validation Contracts. Mr. Berko urged the media to endeavour to be well informed on the Voluntary Partnership Agreement so as to interrogate issues. He touched on the benefits of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement.