A central online knowledge platform is the latest project underway in development of the promotional campaign for Indonesian SVLK and FLEGT timber legality assurance. The campaign development programme is being led and managed by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment (MOEF), with funding and delivery support from the UK Multi-stakeholder Forestry Programme, MFP4.
The new online platform will be integrated with the Indonesian government’s official timber legality information system database (SILK). It will give stakeholders access to latest industry and campaign information, including on regulatory changes, standards, trade data and relevant events.
The strategy for rolling out the campaign was under development at the time of writing. Consultation of international audiences regarding input to the key message house and branding options were also planned for 2021.
At the outset of campaign development in 2019, the MFP4 team hosted a workshop for Indonesian forest sector stakeholders to identify communications priorities for promoting the country’s FLEGT-licensing programme, and the SVLK timber legality assurance system, which underpins FLEGT and is the guarantor of legal timber supply to the Indonesian domestic market and exports to the rest of the world.
Participants agreed that a clear communication strategy was needed to explain the FLEGT/SVLK system and standards, the improvements in forest governance they have brought and to promote them to timber buyers.
Last year, communications consultants were contracted to develop the two key strands of the communications strategy. They first focused on increasing understanding and buy-in for the SVLK system among the domestic Indonesian audience. The goal of strand two was to build recognition and demand for Indonesia’s FLEGT-licensed timber products in export markets.
MFP4 recruited public affairs and strategic communications operations Kiroyan in Indonesia and Kreab in Brussels to manage the campaign. Their role has included establishing a secretariat team to help coordinate, develop and support communications outputs by key forest sector stakeholders in Indonesia. That includes government, private sector and civil society.
The secretariat will ensure messages are strategically aligned. It is also assembling other communications experts, advisors and project managers to deliver the campaign in collaboration with principal forest sector stakeholders.
The campaign managers’ key initial tasks have included development of a 2021-23 communications plan based on the strategy developed.
The domestic campaign’s primary focus are national timber businesses, exporters, and the Indonesian government. Its objective is to raise the level of awareness of the global benefits of SVLK implementation and sustainable forest management among national stakeholders to increase buy-in and support for the system.
The international campaign will target direct importers, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers, and specifiers of Indonesian timber products in the EU and other regulated markets. It will facilitate links between stakeholders in Indonesia and key international timber trader influencers, such as associations and federations and international NGOs to communicate evidence and key messages about the integrity of Indonesian timber legality systems and standards and their role in ensuring sustainable forest management .
A key element of the programme is also development of a ‘coherent brand’ for Indonesian SVLK certified timber. The call for interest for communications and public relations experts to manage the campaign said that the standard is currently described in different ways at different steps of the timber value chain. It is referred to as SVLK as a timber legality assurance system from harvesting through processing of wood products, V-Legal certification at goods’ point of export from Indonesia, and as a FLEGT licence on timber’s arrival in the EU market. This branding, said the call for interest, needed to be clarified, harmonised and refreshed based on communications strategy analysis.