At the event, the results of a field testing exercise carried out in March 2024 in the concessions of Industrie Forestière du Congo (IFCO) in Tshopo province were presented. These field tests help FSC understand how the requirements or concepts of a normative document are likely to function in practice.
During the meeting, the SDG – DRC discussed how to adapt the draft standard to better align with local realities. The group examined and integrated relevant comments from the stakeholders and the recommendations from the field test.
They also provided significant technical contributions that will be incorporated into the final version of the standard. This meeting marks the last step in the standard development process, with the next phase being a final review and approval by FSC International before the standard is officially launched.
William Lawyer, FSC's Policy Manager for Africa, led the workshop. He highlighted the crucial importance of developing a national standard, particularly given that the country has the largest forest area in the Congo Basin.