PEFC Council noted with disappointment that a new version of a World Bank / WWF Questionnaire for Assessing the Comprehensiveness of Forest Certification Schemes / Systems (QACC) has again been developed without any direct stakeholder consultation and participation.
"We sent a list of more than 60 areas of concern on the QACC at the beginning of August at the request of the Alliance three weeks earlier. We are therefore extremely surprised to receive a different version of the QACC now, before our concerns on the content and the process have even been considered" said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC Council Secretary General.
The PEFC has pointed out that the high profile reputation held by the World Bank and WWF will result in the QACC being noticed and referred to by many other stakeholders and institutions worldwide. The QACC and the exercise around it therefore cannot be regarded as an "internal management tool" only, as claimed by the Alliance.
In its most recent letter PEFC Council restated its offer to the World Bank / WWF Alliance to meet to address the identified issues.
To view PEFC Council's latest letter to the Alliance click here
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