Off the wire
• Two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict "at risk of being replaced by a one-state reality," UN chief warns  • Scores arrested, many wounded in France as anti-labor reform rallies turn violent  • Arraiolos Group backs EU integration in Western Balkan region  • Cypriot champion get their revenge against Astana  • Gold down on stronger U.S. data  • Russia insists on Kurds' inclusion in Syrian political process  • Macedonian prosecutors file two lawsuits against 21 senior officials for office abuse  • EU informal summit to define common priorities after Brexit  • Oil prices edge up after sharp slide  • Cyprus amends citizenship scheme to attract more investment  
You are here: 　 Home

UN agency hails world's first timber license

Xinhua, September 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Thursday welcomed an agreement between Indonesia and the European Union (EU) to issue the world's first timber license as a major achievement in the fight against illegal logging, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

As of Nov. 15 this year, this license can accompany shipments of timber exported from Indonesia to EU member states to certify that the timber has been harvested, transported, processed and traded according to Indonesian law, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

Indonesia supplies one third of tropical timber imports by value to the European Union, he noted.

Worldwide, forest crime is estimated by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and Interpol to be worth between 30,100 billion U.S. dollars annually, or 10 to 30 percent of the total global timber trade, he added. Enditem