[{"bbox": [158, 153, 1074, 207], "category": "Text", "text": "a unified government-led agenda in enhancing Ecuador’s forest management capabilities and deforestation-free sustainable production."}, {"bbox": [158, 218, 1074, 459], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU is a synonym for human-centred, sustainable development as the first continent aspiring to be carbon-free within a generation, and the host and promoter of a value-based multilateral system that lives and thrives within nature's bounds valorising the forests. This Action promotes the European Green Deal, An Economy that Works for the People priorities, in specific the upcoming EU Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains. In line with the European Consensus for Development, it will contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 15 (Life on Land), while also contributing to other SDGs (1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 17). Notably, the focus on the sustainable value chains, forest fire prevention, and traditional knowledge places the forest and land use at the core of this Action."}, {"bbox": [158, 468, 1074, 733], "category": "Text", "text": "This Action is also in line with Ecuador's \"Plan de Creación de Oportunidades 2021-2025\", National Decarbonisation Plan, National Plan against Climate Change, the National Strategy for Green Financing, Ecuador's NDC commitment, \"Programa Ecuador Carbono Cero\", the Law of Circular Economy, the National Forest Conservation Strategy ENREDD+, and the National Adaptation and National Mitigation strategies. There is thus a need for an enabling and integral national framework that links up all these strategies and provides a clear direction, backed up by the necessary methodology and reporting data. Similarly, the action is in line with the recommendation of the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Ms Jutta Urpilainen, during her visit to Ecuador in June 2022, to launch this Team Europe Initiative, and to address the social demands that generated the national strike in the same month."}, {"bbox": [158, 746, 1074, 1093], "category": "Text", "text": "Therefore, there are two separate actions planned. The first action is to be implemented by AECID – the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation – with the support of the Ecuadorian office of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR), and it is focused on reducing deforestation by improving deforestation-free bamboo farming systems and commodity supply chains. With this, it is expected that the use of bamboo used as a construction material will be spearheaded, through the harmonisation of policy, direct interventions with SMEs, and bamboo plantations, and development of research related to this field. The second action is to be implemented by AICS – the Italian development cooperation institution – in collaboration with the Hungarian Forest Research Institute, and is focused on strengthening forest conservation through protected area management, forest fire prevention and ecosystem restoration based on traditional knowledge. This project will hence include Environmental Integrated Management Plans development, capacity building for entities related to forest fires prevention, research based on traditional knowledge, and knowledge exchange between research institutes related to forest management."}, {"bbox": [158, 1104, 878, 1132], "category": "Text", "text": "In this context the following rational clauses summarise the intervention logic:"}, {"bbox": [195, 1145, 1074, 1252], "category": "List-item", "text": "* IF business environment, policies and regulatory framework for public and private sector investment are improved for sustainable productive practices, THEN the use of these value chains can be spearheaded as a construction material, BECAUSE these value chains often lack support for their business models."}, {"bbox": [195, 1265, 1074, 1372], "category": "List-item", "text": "* IF bamboo for climate change mitigation, resilience building and general environmental stewardship is promoted, THEN bamboo consumption as a construction material will increase, because the demand will increment as people and companies become aware of its sustainability added value in construction sites."}, {"bbox": [195, 1385, 1074, 1493], "category": "List-item", "text": "* IF the pro-poor SMEs value chain to improve livelihoods and employment opportunities is developed, THEN SMEs in the prioritised sectors will increase their sales and margins, BECAUSE currently their value chains are complex, with many intermediaries, leaving little profit to the enterprises."}, {"bbox": [195, 1506, 1074, 1560], "category": "List-item", "text": "* IF knowledge management and learning are enhanced, THEN the selected SMEs in the relevant value chains will improve their efficiency leaving room for improvement in their"}, {"bbox": [966, 1667, 1082, 1691], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 16 of 28"}]