Proposition 50K0738

Projet de loi portant assentiment à l'Accord international de 1994 sur les bois tropicaux, et aux Annexes, faits à Genève le 26 janvier 1994.

General information ¶

Submitted by

The Senate

Submission date

March 20, 2000

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

wood product international agreement tropical plant

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld N-VA MR FN VB

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

July 6, 2000 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

Mr. Speaker, the discussion in the committee went so quickly that this point had already been discussed when I returned. That is why I would like today, in the context of this international agreement, to emphasize the importance of a sustainable management of tropical hardwood. In 1992, one of the principles adopted by the UNCTAD Conference was the Declaration on the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of a legally binding agreement such as that which was concluded on biodiversity. This makes sustainable forest management not actually legally enforceable at the moment. Hence the importance of this international agreement to which we agree today. It applies to more than 80% of the total tropical forests and it represents 95% of the international trade in tropical timber. In 1994, the members of the International Organisation in Tropical Wood agreed to reach a sustainable management of their forests by the year 2000. We are now in the year 2000, but we are still far from sustainable management of all forests. Nevertheless, compared to the previous agreement of 1983, this agreement contains a number of positive points that will guarantee a more sustainable management. I also call attention to a number of persistent relevant issues. While we can discuss whether Brazil still belongs to the developing countries, they are still officially a member of the group called developing countries for convenience. A few months ago, the Brazilian parliament rejected a bill aimed at putting half of the Amazon forest at risk. This international trade agreement has long failed to guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples. Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw attention to the FSC initiative, firstly because it provides a guarantee for sustainable forest management and secondly because it is currently the only internationally recognised and independent certification body that can provide the guarantee for a sustainable future for tropical forests and its inhabitants. A FSC working group is also active in Belgium. If we know that 62% of our timber consumption is imported, we cannot sufficiently emphasize the importance of applying that certificate. FSC has the ambitious goal to have up to 200 million hectares of forest inspected for their sustainable management by 2005. We will therefore ensure that the use of certified wood in Belgium has maximum opportunities.