FOREST WATCH GHANA

1. FOREST WATCH GHANA BUILDING FORESTRY RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS

2. Who arewe? • 38 national organisations leading in development rights work • Rural livelihoods support (CARE, FON) • Scientific research (TROPENBOS) • Environmental activism (FOE, GEO, GWS) • Socio-economic rights (CR) • Governance (corruption) (GII) • Socio-cultural rights (CIKOD) • Gender rights (NETRIGHT) • International economic justice (TWN-A) • Media & information rights (FEJ) • Public interest law (CEPIL) • Increasingly strong links to 100s of CBOs in forest fringe communities in Ghana • Increasing participation in international rights based CS forest governance movement Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

3. Rights consciousness and FWG Rights approach to forestry: • united peculiar concerns (e.g. conservation v livelihoods or socio-cultural v. socio-economic) • connected different levels of problem (local, national, international) • clarified values that guide campaign & minimise typical coalition maintenance problems (participation, inclusion, obligation, accountability, holism, Internationalism) • provided collective vehicle for politics of elite engagement (political, traditional, religious etc) Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

4. What do we want? • Biodiversity for development • Fair access to forest resources - reverse corporate “monopoly” trend. • Fair distribution of forest rents – respect constitution. • participatory forest governance • More CSO engagement around forest rights’ issues Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

5. Strategies - Bottom up Long term support for self-directed bottom - up advocacy • Facilitating marginalised stakeholder networks • Facilitating public space for marginalised advocacy Community level Networks of marginalised • District Forest Forums • Regional Forest Forums • National Forest Forums Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

6. Strategies - Legitimacy Legitimate (i.e. accountable, evidence-based) national CS policy advocacy • lobbying and official engagement through coalition structures (MC, TLs & secretariat) • FC, MLFM, Parliament, NHC, ENRM (donor reps), courts, CHRAJ • (Weak) media work (name and shame) Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

7. Strategies – networking • Forestry is a particular instance of a wider problem of rights deprivation. Logical therefore to • Participate in other CS NR networks in Ghana e.g. • NCOM • Water Rights • Participate in international CS resource rights campaigns e.g. • AIMES • ECFP Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

8. Strategies – duty bearers • Define “Duty Bearer” broadly as anyone who holds any form of social power at community, district, national and global level in relation to our issues • includes development “professionals” and agencies (activists and NGOs)! • Includes donors and international big business Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

9. Strategies - accountability Built regular consultation and participation into structures to avoid hi-jacking perception • GM meets 3x yearly – reviews and directs • MC meets monthly • “Team Leader” structure ensures “external” oversight of policy campaigns • Coordinator not Executive Director • All positions subject to annual election Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

10. Strategies - EU campaign. • Forest crisis driven by corporate timber industry • EU buys 60% of Ghana timber exports (2% of EU need) • EU gives best (still subsidised!) prices • EU important trade partner in other respects • EU and MS (e.g. UK, Denmark) influential donors • EU policy (FLEGT / VPA) largely progressive • Active EU rights based CS campaign (FERN, Greenpeace, GW, EIA etc.) Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

11. FLEGT / VPA • EU FLEGT responds to recognition that EU market for illegal logs drives environmental, governance (money laundering) and indigenous peoples rights’: • MS weed illegal timber out of public procurement (>20% of EU market) • encourage EU industry to adopt higher standards • contract with willing producer countries to allow MS customs to embargo timber not certified as “legal” in accordance with agreed processes. • Ghana one of first round of VPA negotiations Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

12. PROCESS SO FAR • Work to understand EU policy, processes & opportunities • Linked with campaigning EU NGOs • Linked with o’r “producer country” NGOs (Cameroon, DRC, Liberia, Brazil, Indonesia, PNG) • Developed collective platform on FLEGT / VPAs • Lobbying EU to be accountable and to increase “development” as opposed to “trade” content of VPAs & to commit publicly to “participation” and “inclusion” & accountability as part of VPA preparations. • Gone “home” to work on VPA preparation processes Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

13. Achievements (i) • Old Industry-state consensus disrupted – court cases & even contempt citation • MLFM interventions to repair relations (e.g. ENAK TOR) • Internal Industry consensus disrupted • GTA publicly blames GTMO for sector crisis • GTMO quietly advocates elimination of “logging contractors” • Nascent schism within GTMO (FLEGT related?) • State consensus disrupted • MLFM / FC clearly at odds over stumpage – FC vindicated? • MLFM, AuG, MFEP v FC (mgt & BOD),AG & BOG clash over 3% export levy (MLFM efforts to paper over cracks) • Appointment processes stalemated • Evidence that FOSSA & GIPF ready to intervene Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

14. Achievements (ii) • “SMART” commitments to correct massive wrongs in resource access and benefits sharing. • responsiveness of district forestry offices (where DFFs exist) • Official request for “tech assist” in participation • Acceptance of obligation to account to CS • “Community” ownership of campaigns • domestic and global awareness of forestry / development crisis • Conscious more radical CS – sharper critique of “corporate globalisation”, PRSPs etc. but also better skills in engaging. Workshop on Rights Based Approaches

15. THANK YOU Workshop on Rights Based Approaches