In a significant step towards promoting sustainable forest practices and gaining international recognizing for the Certification Bodies of the Myanmar Forest Certification Committee (MFCC), the MFCC was engaged on a study tour to Vietnam alongside with the Accreditation Body of Myanmar (MAB) and the MFCC notified Certification Bodies. This collaborative effort, supported by the Forestry Agency of Japan and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), is part of the project titled “STRENGTHENING SFM STANDARDS AND TIMBER LEGALITY FRAMEWORK IN MYANMAR.” For ongoing development support was also received through the project “Consolidating and diversifying Sustainable Forest Management Certification in Myanmar” supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

Developing Certification Schemes: The MFCC has developed the Myanmar Forest Certification Scheme (MFCS) and Myanmar Timber Legality Assurance System (MTLAS). Additionally, in one of the MFCC-ITTO project outputs, MFCC also focus on enhancing the quality of the MFCC notified certification body (Certification Body – CB) and gaining international recognition through the Myanmar Accreditation Body (MAB) for accreditation standards.

International Collaboration: Despite MFCC’s initial attempts with Singapore and Thailand accreditation bodies, collaboration challenges led to MFCC to turn towards another neighboring countries. The decision to cooperate with the Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO), a PEFC member National Governing Body (NGB) in Vietnam, became crucial. Following up on this accreditation challenges, with the support of the VFCO, MFCC directly engaged with Bureau of Accreditation – Vietnam (BoA) to have a meeting together with MFCC (NGB), MAB and CB for the accreditation roadmap for the Myanmar Forestry Sector.

Vietnam Study Tour Highlights: MFCC engaged in various activities during the study tour in Vietnam. Notably, the MFCC delegation attended the PEFC Chain of Custody Initial Training held in Hanoi from September 19 to 20, 2023. Moreover, the program included a meeting with the Bureau of Accreditation (BoA), Vietnam’s accreditation organization, which is also a main agenda of the trip, on September 21, 2023.

Key Program Highlights:

• PEFC CoC Initial Training: The delegation participated in the training, focusing on PEFC standards, due diligence systems, CoC methods, and multi-site certification.
• Accreditation Consultation: A meeting with BoA aimed at developing an Accreditation Roadmap for MFCC’s Notified CBs, facilitating the accreditation process.
• Field Visit: On September 22, 2023, the delegation visited Acacia plantations in Be Che District, gaining insights into sustainable forest management practices.
• Industry Interaction: A visit to GFA Group, a CB group based in Germany, provided an opportunity to explore endorsement services in Hanoi on September 25, 2023.

Objectives and Learnings: The study tour had specific objectives towards MFCC-ITTO project, including understanding PEFC Certified Plantations, studying the challenges faced by CBs in Vietnam, and developing an Accreditation Roadmap. Additionally, the MFCC delegation aimed to learn from the experiences of PEFC Certified Forests in Vietnam and studied the difficulties faced by Notified CBs in certification activities.

Conclusion: The collaboration between MFCC, MAB, and Vietnam’s accreditation body (BoA – Vietnam) signifies a commitment to fostering sustainable forestry management. The study tour in Vietnam marks a significant step in achieving international recognition for Myanmar’s forestry sectors and promoting responsible timber production in the region. As the MFCC-ITTO project progresses, the knowledge gained from this study tour will contribute to the development of robust forest certification standards and practices in Myanmar. Further ongoing collaboration and development will be supported through the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.