26 June 2013: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade has announced plans of APEC members’ economies to increase engagement with the private sector on combatting illegal logging and associated trade, and on promoting trade in legal forest products. The announcement came after a public-private dialogue held in Medan, Indonesia, on 25 June.

According to APEC, the region’s forest product trade was valued at more than US$150 billion in 2010. The Expert Group says that APEC economies will pursue greater policy cohesion through the exchange of information on legal and regulatory issues. It is hoped this will result in better information flow across borders, greater coordination of international law enforcement actions, as well as increased capacity for standardization in forest product trade policy. [APEC Press Release]