On September 19th – 20th, 2023, Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) organized a initial training session for auditors on the chain of custody PEFC CoC in Hanoi. This is the third training course organized by VFCO in Vietnam. The course was attended by 41 participants, including auditors from Certification Bodies, observers from Accreditation Bodies, and wood processing factory. etc.  In particular, the training course also attracted the participation from Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar with the goal of enhancing the capacity to build the National Forest Certification System of these countries. The trainer is Mr. Richard Laity, PEFC CoC Training expert, and manager of the PEFC Asia-Pacific.

Under the context of an increasingly international market demanding on the legality and sustainability of wood product through forest certification, the training courses are expected to enhance the capacity of auditors and experts in Vietnam and the region according to PEFC chain of custody standard, it will contribute to improving the quality and quantity of forest certification in Vietnam and the region.