Our initiatives
Relevant links
The EU Forest Governance and Value Chains Programme
is a key mechanism for implementing the Forest Partnerships established between the European Union and partner countries.
The FLEGT Africa and Latin America Facility
assists partner countries in implementing roadmaps or joint implementation frameworks, with the ultimate objective of supporting the improvement of forest sector governance.
The FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme
provided technical support and resources to tackle illegal logging, promoting trade in legal timber products, SFM and poverty reduction.
- Forest law enforcement module on SFM Toolbox
- Forest product statistics
- Micro, small and medium-scale forest enterprises
- Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World
Contact
For general information, please address your request to: [email protected]
Forests are vital for biodiversity, climate resilience, rural livelihoods, and global economies. When sustainably managed, they contribute to green value chains, carbon-neutral economies, and renewable material supplies. However, illegal and unsustainable practices, along with the conversion of forests to other land uses, threaten these benefits, diminishing forests’ roles and deterring investment in the sector.
The various initiatives under the Legal and Sustainable Wood (LSW) Umbrella Programme address these challenges by promoting legal, sustainable, transparent, and deforestation-free wood value chains. Aligned with global commitments—including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Forest Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework—FAO builds on partnerships among its members to advance a holistic approach to forest management.
The initiatives focuses on four key pathways: strengthening governance frameworks, enhancing assurance systems, building capacities, and improving access to finance. These efforts aim to improve forest governance, support MSMEs and smallholders, and promote compliance with international regulatory and market requirements. The Programme encourages stakeholder collaboration, policy reforms, capacity building, and investment in legal, sustainable, and deforestation-free wood value chains.
By fostering transparent trade, market access, and compliance with legality, sustainability, and deforestation-free standards, FAO contributes to forest conservation, sustainable practices, economic growth, and job creation. Its activities support global transitions to low-carbon bio-economies, ensuring that forests continue to benefit ecosystems and communities worldwide.
Newsroom
EU and Ghana explore collaboration beyond FLEGT
23/06/2026
Ghana launches FLEGT licensing, marking a milestone in legal timber trade and sustainable forest management
05/11/2025
Publications
Enabling micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in legal timber production and trade
30/11/2022
This paper draws from 110 initiatives in 20 countries supported by the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme between 2016 and 2022 and seeks to provide examples of how to support forest sector MSMEs cost-effectively and at scale to integrate them into domestic and international legal timber value chains.
FAO-EU FLEGT Programme: Results, impacts and lessons learned from designing and implementing timber legality verification systems
04/10/2022
The FAO-EU FLEGT Programme was established in 2016 to support the implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan. Across it's implementation, the Programme sought to tackle illegal logging, promote trade in legal timber products, and ultimately contribute to SFM and poverty reduction. During this time a range of achievements and lessons learned were documented which are presented in this brochure alongside recommendations for future programming.