Please download the documentation of the COMIFAC workshop in Douala, Cameroon (March 24th, 2010)

Douala, Cameroon, March 24th, 2010 - was held a workshop presided by the COMIFAC and the German Facilitation of the CBFP after the 3rd RaceWood edition (between European timbers importers and African producers of tropical wood). The meeting brought together national and international forestry companies representatives (Forest management planning and export department); international distributors/importers representatives; sellers and investment companies representatives and Chinese manufacturers/producers representatives; Chinese embassies representatives, State Forestry Administration (SFA) representatives; and COMIFAC's space countries representatives.

The central theme retained for this meeting was: "FLEGT- Political instruments and technical implications". The Workshop's objectives was to assist political and private actors in forest sector to understand the 'complementarity' and 'interdependency' between African, European and Chinese policies on promoting legal and responsible wood trade. Around this objective, the Douala COMIFAC workshop offered throughout the day a favorable, ideal and unique framework for various interactive exchanges and many presentations such as: (1) the trade opportunities and mutual prospects; (2) the promotion of legal wood trade: public and private policies; (3) technical implications; and (4) (case study) production and provision chain - how to show a reasonable diligence?

At the end of intensive and fruitful sessions, participants to the workshop displayed conclusions and recommendations concerning: (1) the complementarities of political instruments to promote wood and  value of legality certificates; (2) the role of public and private actors towards a legal trade of tropical wood; (3) the COMIFAC and CBFP's commitment to facilitate this multi-actor process.