Forestry ministers and representatives from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies met July 27–28 in Shenzhen, China, and issued a joint statement reaffirming commitments to combat illegal logging and expand trade in legally harvested forest products.
The statement, from the sixth APEC Ministerial Meeting on Forestry, centered on sustainable forest management and pledged to strengthen enforcement against illegal logging and associated trade, promote forest restoration, and halt and reverse forest loss across the Asia-Pacific region. Ministers highlighted the role of the APEC Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT) in coordinating policy and sharing enforcement practices among member economies.
On the commercial side, the ministers said they would support participation in global markets and the upgrading of forest-product processing to add value along the supply chain. They also committed to encouraging new forest-based industries, including advanced processing of wood products and greater use of wood in construction and other sectors, consistent with sustainable forest management.
