Such initiative is not the first to involve FSC system forest sector stakeholders, including FSC International, ASI, certification bodies, FSC certificate and licence holders, NGOs, scientists and academics.
During the discussion on updating the FSC normative framework, it was clarified that the annual administrative fee (AAF) will be gradually reinstated. For Ukrainian certificate holders, the AAF has been temporarily cancelled for the period from the beginning of Q2 2022 to the end of 2024. The reinstatement of the fee will contribute to capacity building activities to support Ukrainian businesses and ensure the stability of the certification system in the country. For more information on this topic, please follow the link:
Most of the discussions on the meeting agenda were focused on the impact of the reorganisation of the SFE "Forests of Ukraine" in terms of FSC certification, given the need to maintain the ongoing supply of FSC-certified forest products. Representatives of the woodworking business have raised a number of critical issues regarding the reorganisation process. These issues include the introduction of a roadmap of changes in the organisational structure of the enterprise, determining the priority of certification assessments of the newly created over-forestries, and the need to strengthen communication on the part of the SFE. In this context, FSC Ukraine's position remains unchanged and is available at the following link:
https://ua.fsc.org/ua-uk/newsfeed/pro-fsc-sertifikaciyu-v-konteksti-reorganizacii-dp-lisi-ukraini
Among other things, the meeting highlighted the updated FSC national forest stewardship standard, which includes requirements to exclude areas contaminated with explosive ordnance from the scope of certification. The issue of health and safety of all stakeholders in the forest certification process remains in the focus of FSC's attention and is part of the normative changes that are taking place in the system. See more:
Pavlo Kravets, FSC National Representative in Ukraine, highlighted: 'The meeting again actualised the need for coordinated work of all participants in the certification process to ensure the integrity of our system and underlined the importance of mitigating the risks of losing links and trust between responsible business and foresters'.