Opening Session

In May 2004, the Russian Federation announced its intention to host in 2005 a Europe and North Asia (ENA) Forest Law Enforcement and Governance ( FLEG ) process. T he Preparatory Conference for this initiative will convene from 6-8 June 2005 in Moscow. The Ministerial Conference is expected to meet in November or December 2005 in the Russian Federation .

The Preparatory Conference will be hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) of the Russian Federation. Over 35 governments from the region have confirmed their participation , and a number of local and international NGOs as well as representatives from the private sector have been invited to attend the Conference.
The International Steering Committee for this initiative held its first meeting in Moscow from 21-22 February 2005 . The governments of Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Turkey, Japan, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, as well as the European Commission and World Bank accepted the Russian MNR's invitation to join the ENA FLEG International Steering Committee (ISC) and were represented at the meeting. Italy and China were also invited but did not attend the first ISC meeting. The objective of the first ISC meeting was to formally initiate the ENA FLEG process as well as to provide guidance on its overall design. Key decisions include d an agreement to convene the Preparatory Conference and Ministerial Conference. The ISC met again on May 20, 2005 during the 5th session of the UN Forum on Forests in New York to discuss on and prepare for the ENA-FLEG Preparatory Conference and to identify critical next steps towards the Ministerial Conference.

In his welcoming remarks, Valery Roschupkin, Head of Federal Forestry Agency, Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of illegal logging, and recalled the G-8's role in bringing prominence to the problem. He reiterated Russia 's commitment to eradicate illegal logging, and informed the meeting on national measures being taken and planned, in particular, the discussion of the new Forest Code by the Duma, and progress made in monitoring forests using remote sensing.