Africa

The Africa Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (AFLEG) Ministerial Conference took place from 13-16 October 2003, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, resulting in the AFLEG Declaration and Action Plan (English/ French). In the Declaration, governments expressed their intention to, inter alia: mobilize financial resources for FLEG; provide economic opportunities for forest-dependent communities to reduce illegal activities; promote cooperation between law enforcement agencies within and among countries; involve stakeholders in decision making; raise awareness of FLEG issues; and explore means of demonstrating the legality and sustainability of forest products.

An AFLEG Support Group of active “producer,” “consumer” and donor governments was established in May 2004, with the purpose to maintain momentum for action to implement the declaration. Efforts are being made to integrate AFLEG-related objectives and actions into existing initiatives, such as the National Economic Plan for African Development (NEPAD) framework  and other regional bodies such as COMIFAC (Central Africa); SADC (South Africa); Common Market for Eastern and Central Africa (East Africa); and ECOWAS (West Africa).