EUDR working group coordinator

TERMS OF REFERENCE

EUDR WORKING GROUP COORDINATOR: SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION

OF THE EUDR ACTION PLAN IN THE FORESTRY SECTOR

1. Background

On May 16, 2023, the European Commission (EC) passed the Deforestation Regulation (hereinafter abbreviated as EUDR). This law entered into effect on June 29, 2023 and will be fully effective from January 2025 for operators placing products in the EU market. For SMEs, the regulation will apply starting from June 2025. EUDR prohibits the products, of which production causes deforestation or forest degradation and does not comply with the laws of the country of harvesting and exporting,to be imported into or exported from the EU. EUDR applies to 7 commodities, including livestock, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soybeans and wood, as well as any products produced and processed from raw materials of these commodities such as leather, chocolate, printing paper, furniture, charcoal, some palm oil derivatives, etc.

EUDR stipulates that goods imported into and exported from the EU must meet key requirements, inclumding: (1) Goods must have legal origin and production according to the regulations of the exporting country and the country of harvesting; (2) Goods are guaranteed as not causing deforestation or forest degradation after December 31, 2020. According to the country benchmarking requirement which classifies the risk of deforestation in production countries into 3 different levels, namely high, standard and low risk, products of companies from low-risk countries will enjoy simpler verification processes and lower inspection rates. Thus, if a Vietnamese shipment exported to Europe is concluded to violate EUDR regulations, Vietnam (as a Country of origin) may be affected, leading to other Vietnamese goods being exported to the EU alsosubject to more stringent regulation. Companies that violate them will be heavily fined, with a fine of up to 4% of annual revenue in an EU member state.

The EU is currently one of Vietnam's importantexport markets for agricultural, forestry and fishery products, accounting for 13.7% of the total export turnover of major agricultural products. Some of Vietnam's key exports to the EU, namely timber and timber products, coffee and rubber, are in the list of products subjected to EUDR. Amongthem, Vietnam's wood exports to the EU account for only 4% of total export turnover, rubber accounts for 8%, and especially coffee accounts for 40%. Vietnam needs to comply with EUDR regulations for these products, to secure their entrance to the EU market.

Compliance with EUDR regulations requires manufacturing and exporting enterprises to make strong movement towards responsibility and transparency. However, EUDR is also an opportunity to increase market sharebecause Vietnam has banned the logging of natural forests since 2014. When EUDR is effective, some Vietnamese sectors will face a number of difficulties and challenges, including:

1. Vietnam's current legal system does not regulate the geographical location of batches of exported agricultural and forestry products;
2. Vietnam does not have a maps that shows its forest status as of December 31, 2020 which can be used as a basis for verifying the deforestation risk of the products as required as part of the due diligence process by EUDR;
3. Other export markets of Vietnam, especially important markets such as the United States, Japan, Korea, etc. are likely to support EUDR and will promulgate similar regulations or policiessoon, which makes it challenging for Vietnam's export of agricultural and forestry products.

To adapt toEUDR, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued Document No. 5179/BNN-HTQT dated August 1, 2023 on implementing the Action Plan Framework forEUDRadaptationand sent to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the provinces/cities directly under the Central Government.At the moment, MARD is finalizing the EUDR Adaptation Action Plan for submission to the Prime Minister for approval as required in Resolution No. 88/NQ-CP dated June 8, 2023 of the Government. Meanwhile, the MARD has also coordinated with relevant parties to carry out many related activities to prepare necessary conditions for EUDR adaptation.

The MARD Minister has agreed with the proposal of the Department of International Cooperation (the Ministry's focal point for EUDR) in Report No. 182/BC-HTTQT-SP dated April 8, 2024 on the situation of the implementation of adaptive activities for EUDR. The Minister has recently issued Decision No. 1235/QD-BNN-HTQT dated May 4, 2024 on the establishment of a joint Working Group to coordinate EUDR adaptive actions and assigned the Forestry Department to lead and coordinate the activities of the Timber and forest product sector and Rubber sector.

To accomplish this assignment, the Forestry Department is proposing to the Ministry's leadership to promulgate a Decision on the Working Group for the timber/ forest products and rubber sectors, and at the same time operates 03 technical sub-groups to support the Working Group including: (1 ) Sub-group on timber and timber products chaired by the Forestry Department; (2) Sub-group on forest data and maps chaired by the Forest Protection Department; (3) Rubber sub-group chaired by the Department of Crop Production. At the same time, the Forestry Department is also developing a draft EUDR Adaptation Action Plan for the forestry sector. In this context, the Forestry Department needs to recruit 01 officer to support the implementation of the above tasks.

2. Contractual terms

• Mode of contract: Part-time (50%) consultancy contract
• Contract duration: 01 year with possible extension upon successful accomplishment of work and availability of fund.
• Workplace: Division of Science, Technology and International Cooperation at Forestry Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
• Funded by: Forest Trends.
• Salary: Upon negotiation and agreement with Forest Trends.

3. Tasks

Duties of the Consultant include:       

• Act as a focal point who update and compile information on EUDR regulations from relevant parties ;
• Support the implementation of EUDR-related activities of the Forestry Department;
• Act as a focal point to facilitate and support the Forestry Department to develop an Action Plan to adapt to EUDR in the forestry sector;
• Develop a plan to establish the Working Group for the timber and forest products sector and the rubber sector;
• Support the establishment of the Working Group for the timber and forest products sector and the rubber sector;
• Develop operational rules and working programs, facilitate, monitor and promote the activities of the Working Group on timber and forest products sector and the rubber sector;
• Prepare content and organize meetings of the Working Group of timber and forest products sector and the rubber sector;
• Build a network of the timber and forest products sector and the rubber sector to share, update and deploy EUDR adaptation activities.
• Monitor and report on the implemention results of the EUDR Action Plan in the forestry sector;
• Compile monthly, quarterly and annual work reports;
• Perform other tasks assigned by leaders of the Division of Science, Technology and International Cooperation and the Forestry Department.

4. Qualifications

• Havea Master's degree or higher in one of the majors in forestry, agriculture, political economics, environmental management, natural resources management or equivalent ;
• Have at least 5 years of working experience in the field of advising and facilitating the implementation of policies and/or international commitments related to one of the fields of forestry, agriculture, environmental management, or natural resource management;
• Have at least 5 years working for international organizations in the fields of forestry, agriculture, or natural resource management;
• English : Proficient in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills ;
• Proficient in Office software such as Word, Excel, Power point... ;
• Priority is given to people with experience as project coordinators or experience in establishing, organizing, and operating networks or working groups.

5. Application

Potential candidates with appropriate professional qualifications and sufficient capacity, who wish to work at the Forestry Department should prepare an application which includes:

• Cover letter in English;
• Curriculum vitae (CV) in English, clearly stating qualifications and work experience;
• Scanned copies of relevant diplomas, degrees and certificates.

6. Application submission time and application receiving address:

All interested candidates should submit your applications no later than June 25, 2024 . Please send your application via email to [email protected]

* Note: Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. If you have any questions, please send to the above-mentioned email address. Thank you very much.

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