UK Department for International Development (DFID)
DFID's contribution is helping the GFTN to expand its work in Ghana, China and community forests in Latin America.
In Ghana, DFID contributions have enabled the GFTN to provide technical assistance and deflate some of the costs of the certification process. Learn more about GFTN work in Ghana from GFTN in Brief - May 2006.
Meanwhile, in China, DFID funding allowed the China Forest & Trade Network to further engage with and support committed and influential forestry organizations, including producers, manufacturers and traders that are committed to operating legally to develop and implement stepwise action plans to ultimately achieve certification and production of verified legal sources of forest products. Learn more about DFID's contribution for GFTN in China from GFTN Quarterly Issue 2, 2006.
In Latin America, DFID funding has helped improved the livelihoods of 31 forest-based indigenous communities in 5 countries (Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia) via the implementation of Responsible Forest Management and Trade (RFMT) activities that build community enterprises, access favorable markets, support traditional rights, and build a practical foundation for applied policy work.
The newly agreed funding from DFID for the next 3 years will support the development of the GFTN in China by providing a core funding, with a focus on capacity building (auditing and training) plus legal verification of imported timber intended for re-export. Additionally, the funding will enable Ghana (GFTN-West Africa) to develop a replicable model for legal and sustainable forest management that can be used for all Ghanaian forest reserve management unit areas to meet management objectives and the requirements of forest management certification and sustainability standards.
