Instruction No. 0076/MAF on the Development of a Timber Legality Assurance System.

This Instruction is issued in order to ensure the unity of implementation of Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Process for Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the Lao PDR and the European Union to be materialized and to enable the strict implementation of forest management, timber harvesting, timber import, the use of labour, wood processing, the utilization of timber and wood products within the country and for export based on laws and other promulgated legislation, also, in order to prevent and combat illegal logging and timber trade.
The Negotiation Support Development Committee, the Technical Coordination Committee, the Thematic Expert Groups and Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Standing Office are assigned to develop a timber legality assurance system with proactive involvement of related line ministries, the National Assembly, academia, civil society organizations, wood businesses and local administration.
The purpose of developing a timber legality assurance system is to ensure and certify that timber and wood products have been legally harvested, processed and traded in accordance with laws and regulations. The timber legality assurance system shall have following key elements: 1. Timber and wood products legality definitions. 2. Methods of control of supply chain of timber and wood products from the harvesting site or at point of import until the domestic market or export market. 3. A verification process of timber legality and methods of control of supply chain of timber and wood products which comply with laws and regulations. 4. A license issuing process for legal timber for domestic trade and export. 5. An independent monitoring process to monitor the implementation of the TLAS in compliance with all defined requirements.