The meeting involved legislators from the G8 and other key timber producing countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Ghana and Brazil, as well as senior timber industry representatives, civil society organisations and opinion leaders to agree a practical plan of action to address illegal logging.
The debate focused on introduction of financial transparency, support for progressive companies committed to sustainable production and the development of a discerning market for legal and sustainable timber.
Participants included Barry Gardiner, minister for biodiversity, landscape and rural affairs; Katherine Sierra, World Bank vice-president for sustainable development; Toshikatu Matsuoka, Japan’s minister of agriculture; and Elliott Morley, the UK prime minister’s special representative to the Gleneagles G8 Dialogue and president of meeting co-host GLOBE International.
