The meeting of the working group was extended, bringing together forestry experts, representatives of certification bodies, forestry enterprises, NGOs and other stakeholders. The meeting participants' attention was mainly focused on the draft FSC risk assessment for Ukraine, developed by the NGO ForestCom. Public consultations on this draft document are open until January 30, 2025. (see more at: https://ua.fsc.org/ua-uk/newsfeed/rozpochato-publichni-konsultacii-schodo-proektu-fsc-ocinki-riziku-dlya-ukraini).
The draft FSC risk assessment for Ukraine is a fundamental analytical document that contains the results of the risk assessment of wood from unacceptable sources in Ukraine and recommends measures to mitigate the identified risks. The regulatory basis for the draft document is represented by the Risk assessment framework FSC-PRO-60-006b V2-0. The draft document also takes into account the requirements of EU Regulation 2023/1115 on the prevention of deforestation and forest degradation (EUDR).
Development of FSC risk assessment for Ukraine is an important step in supporting responsible forest stewardship and ensuring transparency of the timber supply chain. This enhances the access of Ukrainian products to the European market and their competitiveness, taking into account the requirements of the EU regulation.
Pavlo Kravets, Director of FSC Ukraine, said: "Ukraine has considerable experience in developing risk assessments and is now among the top 20 priority countries in the world where such a process is underway with the support of FSC International. The new version is an extremely important document in the context of European integration".
Dmytro Karabchuk, Executive Director and expert of the NGO “ForestCom”, presented the structure of the document in detail and outlined the process of its development. Among other things, the speaker emphasized the geopolitical scale of such an assessment, the types of wood sources, according to which the risks were assessed. The preliminary results of the risk assessment in terms of indicators and types of sources, as well as the risk mitigation measures proposed in the draft document, were the subject of a lively discussion by the participants of the working group meeting.
Such attention to the draft FSC risk assessment for Ukraine is justified by its importance both at the national and international levels. This document is of practical importance for all participants in the timber supply chain. In particular, the FSC risk assessment for Ukraine is part of the implementation of the requirements of the FSC-STD-40-005 V 3-1 standard «Requirements for sourcing FSC® Controlled Wood». The document is also an element of FSC regulatory module as part of the «FSC EUDR Aligned solution».
For forestry enterprises, the FSC risk assessment for Ukraine will help identify potential risks in their operations and implement measures to minimize them, which will help improve forest management efficiency and strengthen consumer confidence. For buyers of wood products, including European companies, the document will provide information on the risks associated with their origin from Ukraine. This will help them make informed procurement decisions based on the EUDR requirements. For example, if the document's assessment of a particular indicator identifies a high risk of illegal logging in the region, buyers may require suppliers to provide additional documents or other evidence confirming the legality of the wood's origin. In any case, the integration of approaches to managing the risks of obtaining wood from unacceptable sources into the management system will help ensure the legality and sustainability of wood products and increase the prospects of the Ukraine's forest industry at the international level.
The participants of the meeting highly appreciated the work of the expert group and noted the importance of considering all the comments received during the public consultations. Pavlo Kravets emphasized the need to create a practical document: “The final version of the draft FSC risk assessment for Ukraine should be specific, clear, and practical so that it can be used by all stakeholders, both in the European Union and in Ukraine”.
FSC Ukraine calls on all stakeholders to participate in public consultations and provide their suggestions to the draft FSC risk assessment for Ukraine by January 30, 2025.
It is also possible to comment on the draft document, provide comments and suggestions on it during the webinar of the NGO “ForestCom”, scheduled for January 16, 2025 at 11:00 (see more at: https://forestcom.org.ua/news-post/vebinar-nor). Registration is open until January 14, 2025.
