The GhLAS – Ghana’s Road toLegally backed Sustainable
Practices at Scale
May 7, 2024
Mr. John Allotey
Chief Executive
Forestry Commission, Ghana

The Ghana Legality
Assurance System (GhLAS)
Legal Standard | Verification System | Chain of Custody | Licensing
Authority | Independent Audit

Principle

Legaldefinition:
Scope of
TimberLegality
Verification

Subject Area

No. ofCriteria

Criterion

1

Source ofTimber

2i.
ii.

2

Timber Rights
Allocation

3

i. Natural Forest and Plantation TUCs;
ii. Salvage permit
iii. Confiscated Timber

3

TimberHarvestingOperations

7i. Stock survey/pre-felling inspection
ii. Logs accurately measured & recorded
iii. Timber harvested corresponded (species,volumes, numbers)
iv. Stumps & logs marked according to logging
manualv. Compliance with relevant SRA
vi. Payment of crop compensation

4Transportation

2i.
ii.

Management plans, Boundary delineation
Landowner, individual or group writtenconsent.

Timber transported with official
documentation (origin and corresponding
with physical identification of the timber)
Timber was transported within the time
periods permitted by law.

Legaldefinition:
Scope ofTimber
Legality
Verification

Principle

Subject AreaNo. ofCriteria

5Processing

2i.

6Trade2i. Exporters have acquired FC permit.
ii. Domestic Vendors have FC registration.

7

FiscalObligation

4i.

Criterion

Timber processing facilities have valid
licenses and registration with FC andcomplied with all legal requirements
ii. Industrial relation practices conform tolegal standards.

Logger was not in default of stumpage
fees or any other fees payable by loggers
in Ghana
ii. Logger was not in default of ground rents
iii. Exporter was not in default of export levies
iv. Neither Logger nor exporter was in defaultof corporate income tax.

Implementati
on of Mgt
Prescription
SystemicCorrectionsCommunicatedIMAssessme
nt offunctioningof LAS

InternalAssessment

The ForestMgt.
ContinuousImprovement
Cycle

The Loop for Continuous
Learning under the GhLAS• Near real-time identificationof discrepancies

LegalityAudit• Civil Society Participation inLegality Audit• Effective Identification of
Systemic Issues

Closure,Reporting&Document
ation

Structured
Reporting/Document
ation of
NonComplianceVerification System
System that checks that that all therequirements of the LD have been metby all actors in the supply chain

operators, suppliers as well as regulators

Provides objectively verifiable evidence that timber products and related
activities comply with the requirements set out in the LD

Based on audit (field and documentary) conducted using set of Principles,
Criteria and Indicators drawn from the LD

Reporting structure under GhLAS
GFC legality audit (Forestoperations under scrutiny)• Reports to Timber Validation
Committee• Annual Report to the Minister• GFC Audit Committee (Differentstakeholder representations)• Public Accounts Committee(Reports to Parliament)

Independent Monitor• Report to The Joint Monitoring
and Review Mechanism(Represented by parties of theFLEGT-VPA)Chain ofCustodySystem(CoC)• System that enables the tracking of timber andtimber products from a forest or point of importto a point of export (and vice versa)• Systematically enables the identification andreconciliation of wood flows accompanied by therelevant documentation throughout the supplychain• The CoC is based on existing business process andprocedures• Some tweaking may become necessary duringautomation

FLEGT Licensing/Licensing Authority• Licenses – the targeted end product of theTLAS techincal systems• Licenses – Guarantees that timber from acountry has been harvested, processed andexported in accordance with national laws
• A designated licensing authority issues licenses
acting on the reports of the verification oflegality• Ghana’s approach is shipment-based licensingIndependent
Auditing• To review and provide independent reports on
the TLAS and check that components of thesystem function as purposed in the agreement• Contributes to the credibility of the country
systems (and licenses)• Appointed by government of partner country
in consultation with the EU

The Legality Assurance System(LAS) – Our Lessons• An enabler of the application of forest management
standards across the board → at the national level• Keeps in focus compliance with social, environmental
and economic standards as enshrined in national laws
(routine legality verification audit & independent audit)• Embedded in national multi-stakeholder process which
improves legitimacy and buy-in across the board• Principles of the LAS sets up the national system forcontinuous improvement

Qualities of GhLAS – Beyond the name
No.

Certification

GhLAS

1

Compliance with Laws

Legality definition (First component of the GhLAS)
Contained in Article 7 and Annex II of the Ghana VPA agreement

2Workers Rights andEmployment Conditions

Principle 5, criteria 5.2 ensures that forest and industrial relation
practices conform to ILO code of practice on occupational safety andHealth in Forestry work (Act 651) of 2003, section 118-124

3

Indigenous Peoples’ Rights […]4Community Relations

Article 26, section 1 & 2 of LI 2254 -Timber resource management andlegality licensing regulation, 2017 on Social Responsibility Agreement(SRA). Principle 3, Criterion 3.6 of Ghana’s legality checklist

5Benefits from the Forest

Annex II of Ghana’s VPA. Principle 2, criterion 2.1 of Protocol 01, Ghana
VPA audit checklist SD 01C.

Qualities of GhLAS – Beyond the name
No.

Certification

GhLAS

6

Environmental Values andImpacts

Principle 3, criterion 3.2.3 of Audit Protocol 01. Logging manual section 3(Timber harvesting standards and specifications) (Section 10 of Act 547)

7

Management Planning

Annex II of Ghana’s VPA, Principle 1, criterion 1.1
MoP section A (MoP’s are output of requirement in section 18 of Timber
Resource Management Regulation Act 547 of 1997)

8

Monitoring and Assessment

Legality Audit Mechanism/Independent Monitoring plus JMRM deliberation
on reports provide multi-layered oversight

9

High Conservation Values

Principle 1, criterion 1.1.2 SD 01B-02 & Principle 3, criterion 3.1.2 ensuresthe delineation of cultural and environmental sensitive areas from timber
utilization contract (TUC) and excluded from harvesting.

Emerging impacts of operating the Ghana
Legality Assurance System (GhLAS)• Opportunity to better detect and correct areas ofweakness (prompt reviews) in the application offorest management prescriptions• Opportunity to better monitor and control thesupply chain• Better combat illegalities along the supply chain• Accumulation of forest management data for
informed strategic decision-making• Improved business anlytics

The benefits of an effective
timber legality assurance
system (TLAS) goes way beyond
the delivery of legality licenses.

Conclusion
Conclusion
Conclusion

When well implemented, it
addresses key forest
management, sustainability
and governance challenges.

Thank You