This is your go-to space for all editions of the FSC General Assembly Members Bulletin. Here, you will find key updates, deadlines, resources, and stories curated to help you stay informed and engaged in the lead-up to the FSC General Assembly 2025. Each issue highlights important developments, motions, and opportunities for participation—ensuring you are well prepared to shape the future of FSC.
The importance of forest stewardship is more apparent than ever as we face global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequities. The FSC Global Strategy 2021-2026 focuses on growing our reach by demonstrating the value and benefits of forest stewardship in combatting these challenges and achieving our 2050 vision of resilient forests sustaining life on earth.
The FSC Global Membership Meeting 2020 presented a general overview and highlights of the achievements in 2020, and general priorities and key issues for 2021.
In order to accommodate several time zones and enable the participation of our members from all regions, the session was held in the morning and repeated in the afternoon. Both sessions ran live and contained the same discussions.
Over 400 registered participants from around the world joined the presentations and subsequent discussions. You can find the meeting recordings and presentations below.
During this session, we will present the motion submission schedule and we will have a demo on how to submit a motion through the FSC Motions platform.
This is a sad time for the FSC family as we mourn the loss of Jaime Levy, world renowned advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples and a past member of FSC’s International Board of Directors.
The BBC recently reported on allegations against the Korindo Group (Korindo) concerning its oil palm operations in Indonesia. The report referenced the action taken by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) following the FSC Policy for Association complaint made against Korindo in 2017. It also presented new information that alleges Korindo used fire for land clearing.
The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) Board of Directors has decided to hold the next FSC general assembly in Panama City, Panama, from 26–31 October 2025.
In 2021, six members of the FSC International Board of Directors will be replaced (or re-elected). FSC International is calling for candidates to nominate themselves by 31 January.
FSC plays an important role in addressing two interconnected global challenges, climate change and biodiversity loss, by promoting responsible forest management, including conservation and restoration, and offering solutions for a more sustainable and resilient future.
Good news! The Early Bird registration deadline for the FSC General Assembly 2025 has been extended till 31 July — giving you more time to secure your spot at a discounted rate.
The present document contains certification requirements for certifying forest operations in plantations in Uruguay, developed in accordance with FSC's normative document for the development and maintenance of Forest Stewardship Standards. Revisions of Forest Stewardship Standards are ongoing, and all existing standards will be transferred to the revised Principles & Criteria version 5-2. All standards are valid until replaced by a new Forest Stewardship Standard.
The present document contains certification requirements for certifying forest operations from smallholders in plantations in Indonesia, developed in accordance with FSC's normative document for the development and maintenance of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards. Revisions of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards are ongoing, and all existing standards will be transferred to the revised Principles & Criteria version 5-2. All standards are valid until replaced by a new FSC Forest Stewardship Standard.
The present document contains certification requirements for certifying forest operations from smallholders in plantations in Vietnam, developed in accordance with FSC's normative document for the development and maintenance of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards. Revisions of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards are ongoing, and all existing standards will be transferred to the revised Principles & Criteria version 5-2. All standards are valid until replaced by a new FSC Forest Stewardship Standard.
FSC had decided to waive the Annual Administration Fee (AAF) for all types of certifications in Ukraine from Q2/2022 until the end of Q4/2024, regardless of their certification status.
In August 2024, FSC decided to reinstate the AAF for certifications in Ukraine starting 01 January 2025 in a phased approach.
This Advice Note serves to implement this decision.
The following requirements aim to ensure that the certification body decision making entity has sufficient information on which to base its decisions with respect to conformity with FSC forest stewardship standards, and to help FSC ensure that there is consistency in decision making between different certification bodies.
The social impacts of forest management mean that forest management is a social as a well as a technical activity. It is not possible to involve all stakeholders in every forest evaluation. It is therefore essential that forest certification and its results should be open to public scrutiny. This is the only way to demonstrate to all interested or affected parties that the certification decisions are justified and acceptable. It is a basic requirement of the FSC scheme that certification bodies make a summary report of each certified forest operation publicly available.
Depending on when the unacceptable activity occurs/occurred, FSC will determine which policy version is used as the point of reference. If the unacceptable activity occurred prior to 2023, version 2-0 of the policy will be applied, whereas if the unacceptable activity occurs in 2023 or beyond, version 3-0 of the Policy for Association will be applied. To access Policy for Association, version 2-0, click here . The Policy for Association is an expression of the values shared by individuals and organizations associated with FSC. It defines six unacceptable activities that associated individuals and organizations and their corporate group commit to avoid in both certified and non-certified operations. The Policy for Association serves as a risk management tool for FSC, protecting the credibility and reputation of the FSC brand and organizations associated with it.
This guide is intended for organizations that wish to use the FSC trademarks for the promotion of FSC-certified labelled products or services and it replaces the FSC-STD-50-002 'Requirements for promotional use of the FSC trademarks by non-certificate holders' that was withdrawn on 31st May 2020.
FSC Remedy Framework defines permanent and effective measures required for remedy of harm caused by unacceptable activities as defined by the Policy for the Association of Organizations with FSC V2-0 or by conversion between 1 December 1994 and 31 December 2020.