IWPA had been very active in working to facilitate engagement by government and industry in the two nations. Most recently, in October IWPA President Bronson Newburger of Clarke Veneers & Plywood and Executive Director Cindy Squires traveled to Lima for a Forest Products Industry Stakeholders event co-hosted by IWPA and Peru's Asociación de Exportadores Comité de Madera e Industrias de la Madera (ADEX). The agenda focused on developing international markets for legally-sourced wood products from Peru, and included presentations by the leadership of IWPA and ADEX as well as Peru's Forest Service (SERFOR), independent forest monitoring agency (OSINFOR), and FSC Peru. Following the event, IWPA and a group of Peruvian stakeholders wrote to our respective governments with additional recommendations for reform.

IWPA recognizes and supports the significant effort Peru has put into reforming its forestry laws and developing new systems to support legal and sustainable forestry.  We look forward to staying actively involved in the effort to promote legal and sustainable wood products trade that is beneficial both for U.S. consumers and the health of Peruvian forests and the communities that depend on them.