6 March 2014, EU FLEGT Facility news - Representatives of Indonesia, the EU Delegation to Indonesia and the EU FLEGT Facility met in Jakarta on 28–29 January 2014 and marked progress on VPA implementation. Indonesia's representatives included officials from the ministries of Forestry, Trade and Foreign Affairs and leaders from civil society and the private sector. Participants reviewed the joint Indonesia–EU action plan on VPA implementation, an outgrowth of the 2013 joint assessment of Indonesia's timber Stakeholders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar/Burma, Thailand and Vietnam met in a workshop in Laos on 8–10 January to discuss the development of academic curriculums on forest governance.

About 30 representatives of universities, forest management and forest law enforcement agencies and civil society attended the workshop on 'Curriculum development and continuing professional development for improved forest governance' organised by the National University of Laos and the Centre for International Development Training.

Participants assessed whether current forestry curriculums sufficiently cover governance and legality and analysed training needs. They also identified innovative curriculum projects.

Representatives from Lowering Emissions in Asia's Forests (LEAF) shared their experiences in developing a curriculum on REDD+, which now is in use in universities, as an example of a similar approach. Participants from Vietnam, Thailand and Laos shared their experiences with VPA negotiations, now underway in all three countries.

Source: http://www.euflegt.efi.int/home