Ahead of the 2026 FLEGT licensing rollout: Labour Ministry hosts 2nd forest sector outreach for operators in Region 6

The Labour Ministry successfully conducted its second Forest Sector Operator (FSO) Outreach session in Region Six last Friday, in Springlands, East Berbice-Corentyne. This initiative forms part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to engage directly with forestry stakeholders across the country to address key challenges, share vital information, and strengthen partnerships within the sector.
The session brought together forest operators, community leaders, and representatives from the ministry to discuss labour regulations, occupational safety, worker rights, and compliance standards specific to the forestry industry.
Through this outreach, the ministry continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting sustainable forest management and promoting decent work conditions for all sector participants.
Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Guyana, the initiative was hosted by the FLEGT Secretariat of the Guyana Forestry Commission, with key support from the Ministry of Labour (MoL), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).
During the session, Labour Officer Denise Duncan outlined key compliance requirements that FSOs must meet to operate both locally and within the European Union, as Guyana prepares to implement FLEGT VPA licensing in 2026.
Guyana is the first South American country to implement the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA).
Guyana and the EU negotiated the terms of the VPA through a collaborative process, with both parties sharing the goal of fostering good forest governance and addressing illegality. The VPA negotiations began in December 2012, and the agreement concluded with its initialling in November 2018.
The EU Council adopted the Decision on the VPA’s signing with Guyana in October 2022, followed by Guyana and the EU signing the agreement in December 2022. Guyana ratified the VPA in its parliament in April 2023 and is implementing the agreement. The first FLEGT licence is expected to be issued in 2026.
A Forest Sector Operator (FSO) is a natural person or body corporate registered with and approved by the Guyana Forestry Commission to conduct forestry operation(s). The natural person or body corporate may be defined as a sole trader(s) and/or those registered under the Business Registration Act, the Partnership Act, the Companies Act, the Friendly Societies Act or the Co-operative Societies Act.