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The Deputy Toshao, Village Council Members, and FSOs welcomed the FLEGT team from the Guyana Forestry Commission, alongside representatives from the EPA – Guyana, the Guyana_Revenue_Authority, the National Insurance Scheme – Guyana, and the Ministry of Labour & Manpower Planning Guyana.
The session, held on November 18, is part of the EU-funded outreach under the FLEGT VPA Programme, implemented by IICA Guyana.
This activity aligns with the current outreach cycle, which emphasises strengthening participatory capacity, improving compliance, and conducting a needs assessment with Indigenous and community-based forestry stakeholders. IICA’s facilitator co-led the engagement, supporting the FLEGT Secretariat in applying updated participatory and gender-responsive methods to identify key compliance challenges, resource gaps, and priority areas for future capacity building.
Discussions centred on:
- Strengthening understanding of the FLEGT VPA, including requirements Indigenous FSOs must meet to operate legally on the local and EU markets as Guyana progresses toward 2026 licensing;
- Facilitating open dialogue between the community, GFC, and partner agencies to exchange knowledge, address concerns, and build confidence in the GTLAS compliance framework;
- Gathering qualitative and quantitative input on financial, technical, training, and resource needs to inform future support interventions.
Agencies offered tailored guidance and responded to community queries related to compliance processes, labour and OSH requirements, traceability, revenue obligations, and NIS coverage.
Date
November 18, 2025
Venue
Community Benab
Place
St. Cuthbert’s Mission/Pakuri Village
