Policy Advisor in Forest Policy, Legal and Institutional Reforms
My responsibility in all Master Plans has included policy and institutional components as well as legal and organizational reforms. The present forest policies and the core elements of the legislation for their implementation has been drafted under my leadership in Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh and Kenya. In addition, I was consulted in these aspects in the Sri Lankan, Bhutanese and Philippino Forestry Sector Master Plans.
Thailand
In Thailand my team produced a new forest policy, which was considered and approved in the National Forest Policy Committee of the Cabinet. It marked a starting point for a still ongoing legislative work. The policy introduced a revolutionary change in forest management from the government-centered approach to partnerships with various stakeholders. Rights and management potentials of the communities which live in and from the forests were recognized and my team wrote them into a draft National Forestry Code. Subsequent policy debate, especially among the NGO-community, has been sharply polarized. There are camps, which strongly believe that man can live in harmony with forests and equally strong believers that not. This polarization in the society has delayed badly required legislative reforms in Thailand.
Nepal
In Nepal, as an element of the master planning process, my team produced a new Forestry Sector Policy in 1989, which was endorsed by the then government of His Majesty the King. After the revolution which abolished the absolute monarchy, the same policy was endorsed by the new democratically elected government with minor adjustments. Then my team drafted a Forestry Code for a systematic implementation of the new policy. It took only 2 years to debate and approve it in the Parliament. Although the parliamentary processing changed the draft, most of its main elements passed through. As a consequence, community forestry became the main forest management strategy in Nepal. The legislative process was followed by institutional and organizational changes, which were required to facilitate the implementation of the new law.
Kenya
In Kenya I was brought in for a month as a Forest Policy Expert for the formulation of a draft forest policy in 1993. The Master Plan team in the country had collected background information and studied the performance of the forestry sector extensively, but needed assistance in establishing the policy direction for programme formulation and actual planning. The forestry sector policy, which I drafted, enabled the Master Plan team to continue with systematic programming according to the policy guidelines and to complete the master plan for subsequent endorsement by the government.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh I helped ADB’s Review Mission on the Forestry Sector Programme / Forestry Master Plan Project as their Staff Consultant and Forestry Sector Planning Expert for two months in late 1993 – early 1994. I analyzed the material produced by a consulting firm, and based on the analysis, drafted a new Forest Policy for the country, including strategies and development programmes, and estimated the funding requirements for policy implementation. The draft policy, which I delivered, was adopted by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
During those years we had an extensive informal communication among colleagues working in NFAPs supported by FAO and Master Plans supported by ADB in the region. This enabled me to also contribute to the formulation of forest policies, legislation and institutional reforms in Sri Lanka, Bhutan and The Philippines.