Guyana EU FLEGT VPA

04/09/2026

As we celebrate Amerindian Heritage Month and honour Guyana’s First Peoples, we spotlight the voices of participants at this year’s National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference who visited our booth and made pledges to our forest. Under the theme “One Voice, One Forest, One Future,” participants reaffirmed their commitment to stand for legal timber and sustainable forest management, key steps in strengthening forest governance under the Guyana-EU FLEGT VPA.

Guyana Forestry Commission IICA Guyana

04/08/2026

The FLEGT Secretariat hosted a Communication Strategy Capacity Building Session, facilitated by ActionCOACH Guyana, on July 31, to enhance participants' communication skills and strengthen stakeholder engagement across the VPA process. The training, made possible through the support of IICA Guyana under the European Union-funded "Support to the FLEGT VPA" Project, focused on effective communication techniques, active listening, asking impactful questions, and improving stakeholder engagement.

Participants included representatives from the Guyana Forestry Commission (including the Forestry Training Centre Inc.) and GTLAS agencies such as the Guyana_Revenue_Authority, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Insurance Scheme - Guyana (NIS), National Plant Protection Organization/National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NPPO/NAREI), Ministry of Labour & Manpower Planning Guyana, Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission, and the National Toshaos Council.

By strengthening communication across these agencies, the training supports more effective collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and coordinated implementation of the Guyana–EU FLEGT VPA.

25/07/2026

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited and participated in our booth, supported by IICA Guyana through the European Union-funded “Support to the FLEGT VPA” project.

We also extend our appreciation to all Toshaos and Village Council Members visiting our booth, whose leadership and commitment are vital to protecting Guyana’s forests and advancing sustainable forest management within their communities. We also extend our appreciation to the Hon. Sonia Latchman, Parliamentarian, Director General of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and the Vice-Chairperson of the National Toshaos Council, who joined other participants in making pledges to protect our forests and taking part in the booth’s activities.

To all our new and returning visitors, thank you from the IICA and FLEGT teams for your enthusiasm, your commitment to Guyana’s forests and, of course, your love for our activities (and prizes)!

Follow our page to see the forest pledges shared during Amerindian Heritage Month in September.

To learn more about the Guyana–EU FLEGT VPA and the Digital Wood Tracking System (dWTS), visit: https://euflegt.gov.gy/

24/07/2026

Today, we welcomed Commissioner Edward Goberdhan and Deputy Commissioner Rawle Lewis of the Guyana Forestry Commission; IICA Guyana and CARICOM Representative Wilmot Garnett; and representative of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), George Amaro, to our booth.

Booth visitors continued to interact with the team and learnt more about the Guyana-EU FLEGT VPA, the importance of forest-sector compliance, and IICA’s EU-funded “Support to the FLEGT VPA” project.

23/07/2026

Yesterday, we welcomed a very special young visitor to our IICA Guyana-supported FLEGT booth, Soyini Bishop, a future forest officer and proud protector of Guyana’s forests!

Soyini’s enthusiasm reminds us that the future of our forests rests in the hands of young people who are inspired to protect, sustainably manage, and preserve Guyana’s rich forest resources for generations to come. We hope to see her wearing that forest officer uniform one day! 🌳

The FLEGT booth at the National Toshaos Conference (NTC) is raising awareness of FLEGT, highlighting compliance, and showcasing IICA’s EU-funded “Support to the FLEGT VPA” project.

23/07/2026

21/07/2026

With support from IICA Guyana, the FLEGT team is hosting a booth at the National Toshaos Conference (NTC) to raise FLEGT awareness, highlight compliance, and showcase IICA’s EU-funded “Support to the FLEGT VPA” project. Conference participants and government representatives including the Minister of Education, Sonia Parag; the Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy; the Minister within the Ministry of Housing (and Water), Vanessa Benn; and the Deputy Director of the Juvenile Justice Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, Shaundell Shipley, visited the booth, interacting with the team, its activities, winning several promotional items.

Toshaos and representatives from several communities and villages, including St. Cuthbert’s Mission and Akawini, also visited the booth.

20/07/2026

17/07/2026

The Guyana Forestry Commission today, July 17, hosted another introductory training session on the Digital Wood Tracking System (dWTS) for License Holders at its Head Office.

The session continued to build participants' understanding of the system, focusing on removal documents, processing, and sales modules within the dWTS. The training forms part of GFC's ongoing efforts to prepare forest sector operators for the transition to the digital platform, which will improve timber traceability, streamline operations, and strengthen legality verification.

The next introductory dWTS session is scheduled for July 20 in Parika and will target sawmillers, lumberyard operators, and loggers.

To learn more about this system, visit our website: https://euflegt.gov.gy/