Key Program Areas
FSC and climate change
Activities by FSC related to forest-based carbon accounting go back to 1999 when a Carbon Certification Workshop was held at the FSC General Assembly. Subsequent dialogue and debate, including before the UNFCCC COP-13 in Bali. the FSC Global Strategy, the FSC Board of Director's statement on forests and climate change and, most recently, Policy Motion 43, have led to further exploration of FSC's role in forest-based carbon initiatives and frameworks to mitigate climate change.
FSC Monitoring and Evaluation Program
In 2007, the consultative process to develop a Global Strategy for FSC came up with five independent goals and 71 indicators to drive the future work of FSC. Following the adoption of the strategy, FSC created its monitoring and evaluation program. Measuring the impacts of certification on sustainable forest management has now become a priority for FSC. Given the broad mission and global scope of FSC's work, FSC relies on different approaches to assess its social, economical, environmental, and political impact.
FSC Social Strategy Program
The continued implementation of FSC’s Social Policy Program is a major strategic objective for the FSC. The main goal of the Social Policy Program is to make FSC certification more accessible and beneficial for small and low intensity managed forests (SLIMFs) and community forestry operations. Other key focus areas are certification issues related to labor and indigenous peoples. Within the Social Program, FSC Principles and Criteria also ensure that workers' conditions are in conformity with ILO Conventions in certified forest operations. Moreover, FSC's policy is that workers' rights are respected throughout the chain of custody.
