PEFC is a solution to address the global problem of illegal logging

PEFC timber and paper companies around the world buy wood from certified and uncertified forests. In the case of wood from PEFC certified forests, the independent certifiers not only guarantee its legality but additionally give the assurance that the wood comes from forest management, which is ecological, socially and economically sustainable.

The legality of uncertified wood, which timber and paper companies also buy, is assured through a safeguard mechanism, which is part of PEFC Chain of Custody standard (see item below on illegal logging/controversial sources).

PEFC protects the rights of indigenous people

PEFC uses the criteria of the intergovernmental processes which grew out of the UN 'Earth Summit' in Rio de Janeiro, such as the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe or the African Timber Organization (ATO) and International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Criteria & Indicator for sustainable management of African natural tropical forests. The criteria address people's land tenure, customary and traditional rights; protect historical, archaeological, cultural or spiritually significant sites; make use of indigenous related experience or knowledge and involve indigenous people and their communities in the consultation, decision making and implementation processes of PEFC.

At national level indigenous people can participate when PEFC certification systems are being developed or updated in consensus with other groups of society.

Last but not least, PEFC requires consultation with the public during the certification audits of individual forests, ensuring that indigenous and other forest dependent people's views are considered for the forests they live in, live near to or are dependent upon.

PEFC has published a Position Paper on Tribal and Indigenous people, local people, local communities, forest dependent communities and the PEFC Council at www.pefc.org > Documentation > Position Papers.

PEFC safeguards communities?, workers? and local people?s rights

PEFC incorporates social issues through a range of international and national agreements, such as the ('Rio Earth Summit') intergovernmental processes and their Operational Level Guidelines (e.g. the PEOLG of the MCPFE). The PEOLG as used by PEFC demand that:

• Forest management planning shall aim to maintain or increase forest and other wooded area, and enhance the quality of the economic, ecological, cultural and social values of forest resources, including soil and water. This shall be done by making full use of related services such as land-use planning and nature conservation.
• Appropriate silvicultural measures shall be taken to maintain the growing stock of resources at - or bring to - a level that is economically, ecologically and socially desirable.
• Conversion of abandoned agricultural and treeless land into forest land shall be taken into consideration, whenever it can add economic, ecological, social and/or cultural value.
• Areas that fulfil specific and recognised protective functions for society shall be registered and mapped, and forest management plans or their equivalents shall take full account of these areas
• Forest management planning shall aim to respect the multiple functions of forests to society, have due regard to the role of forestry in rural development, and especially consider new opportunities for employment in connection with the socio-economic functions of forests.
• Working conditions shall be safe, and guidance and training in safe working practice shall be provided.
• Forest management operations shall take into account all socio-economic functions, especially the recreational function and aesthetic values of forests by maintaining for example varied forest structures, and by encouraging attractive trees, groves and other features such as colours, flowers and fruits. This shall be done, however, in a way and to an extent that does not lead to serious negative effects on forest resources, and forest land.

• No 29 Forced Labour,
• No 87 Freedom of Associations and Protection of the Right to Organise,
• No 98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining,
• No 100 Equal Remuneration,
• No 105 Abolition of Forced Labour,
• No 111 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) and
• No 138 Minimum Age for Admission to Employment

PEFC is supported by environmental organisations (eNGOs)

A large number of eNGOs actively participate in PEFC and its national members, among them renowned organisations such as FNE (France Nature Environnement), the national umbrella organisation of more than 3,000 regional groups and initiatives in France; the UWD (Umweltdachverband), the framework of 34 national eNGOs in Austria or CI (Conservation International), the international US-based eNGO, which works in more than 40 countries on four continents.

A number of these eNGOs participate in an international platform of ENGOs interested in PEFC certification and are in a continuous dialogue with PEFC through this platform. Furthermore, eNGO representatives are on the PEFC Council Board of Directors and directly involved in the decision making of PEFC at international level.

Social and environmental groups participate in PEFC?s decision making

All PEFC endorsed certification systems have a national forum or organisation, in which all interested parties can participate, e.g. environmental and social non-governmental organisations, trade unions, indigenous people, forest owners etc.

The forum's decisions are based on the principle of consensus (see PEFC Annex 2, 3.5. Participatory Process and PEFC Council Guideline 5/2006 Requirements for Consensus in the Standard Setting Process). As the shape of the forum is adapted to the national circumstances, some PEFC member countries have chosen a chamber system where different stakeholders are divided into groups, while others have developed a national committee or council combining all groups. PEFC allows local stakeholders to determine for themselves the best way to organize themselves.

The PEFC Council Board of Directors is constituted to reflect an appropriate diversity of stakeholder interests (including representatives from social and environmental organisations), of geographic regions and size of country and of gender (PEFC Statutes, Article 6 Board of Directors).

All people of society can participate in PEFC

In PEFC public participation happens:
1. During all individual certification audits at the level of the Forest Management Units.
2. During the standard setting of the national forest certification systems.
3. During the international assessment of national systems for PEFC endorsement.
4. During the development of the criteria of the intergovernmental process for sustainable forest management. As they change, PEFC's criteria change.

PEFC is the only international certification system that requires certification to take place, only after national standards have been developed with national and local multi-stakeholder participation. PEFC does not permit certification against so called Interim Standards (see item below on how PEFC verifies same high level in all countries).