According to an article in the Guardian newspaper, the UK wants to spearhead “a major global crackdown on illegal timber and deforestation” by forming a coalition of developing countries against the trade as part of its hosting of UN climate talks in Glasgow in November this year.
According to the article “all countries are expected to come forward with tougher plans to reduce global emissions as part of COP 26, and experts have said this will only happen if the UK takes the lead in forming a coalition of small and big developing countries, including forested African nations and Indonesia, as well as major economies such as the US, China, India and the EU”.
The new project, still in the planning stages, will build on the UK government’s forests governance, markets and climate programme, the focus of which includes strengthening the rule of law in affected countries in the developing world, influencing international partners to increase their efforts, supporting responsible trade and helping stakeholders on the ground to act.
The article notes “in 2005, only about a fifth of Indonesia’s timber trade was legal. But today, after interventions by the UK and other partners, 100% of exports are sourced from independently audited factories and forests”.