CV4C project partners came together for a workshop to further develop the Regional Independent Monitoring (IM) Platform. Organised by the Field Legality Advisory Group (FLAG), with the support of the European Union and the technical facilitation of CIDT and FLAG, this workshop aimed to strengthen the positioning of the Regional IM Platform as an instrument for promoting professional, credible and effective IM in the forest countries of Central and West Africa.
From 19-22 June 2018, eighteen representatives of the CV4C project and five other organisations from DRC, Cameroon, Gabon and CAR took part in a workshop to strengthen the Regional Platform for Independent Monitoring. This workshop will lead to the official launch of the Regional IM Platform, which now has the foundational elements of a charter, IM strategy and the mandate of the designated officers. Furthermore, in order to strengthen the influence of IM at a national level, an adaptable and transferable strategy will be established in each of the partner countries. In addition to the guiding principles and rules of IM, participants are expected to explore and validate options for mobilising the necessary resources needed to sustain monitoring activity.
Independent monitoring is a process by which a third party monitors the application of legislation against forest sector activities. It is increasingly recognised as an effective tool for combating illegal logging in some African forest countries, and thereby contributes to the improvement of forest governance.
