Social justice in forestry. Report of a Learning Event Held at the Ankrah Foundation, Mukono, Uganda 28-30 November 2006

Injustice in the forest is rife. The urgent need to secure justice in decision-making about trees and forests is now the primary challenge for sustainability in many places. The Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG) aims to contribute to meeting this challenge. FGLG is an informal alliance of in-country teams and international partners currently active in seven African and three Asian countries. It is facilitated by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and financed by the European Commission and The Netherlands government. FGLG carries out focused studies, develops tactics and tools, and works as a group to effect change.
Learning events bringing the country teams together are crucial to the Group’s work. An FGLG learning event was held in Uganda in the last week of November 2006. It focused on how to make the law work better for social justice in forestry. The objective was to share experience and ideas on this theme and to sharpen FGLG country team plans for effective work. Some 47 participants took part, including roughly three from each country team plus staff from IIED, Savcor, LTS International, Global Witness and several Ugandan institutions.