Have your say: Public consultation on the Assurance System Evaluation Framework
The FAO Forestry Division and Preferred by Nature invite stakeholders to participate in a public consultation on the draft Assurance Systems Evaluation Framework (ASEF), developed as part of the GEF-7 World Bank-FAO Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Programme.
The ASEF aims to evaluate the alignment of second- and third-party assurance or “certification” systems covering agricultural commodities and wood with the new EU Deforestation Regulation’s legality, traceability and deforestation-free requirements, as well as the general robustness of the systems.
The selection of assurance systems to be evaluated through the ASEF should be voluntary, either at the request of the system owner or manager, or with their approval if initiated by someone else.
The evaluation is expected to indicate what system claim(s) cover / do not cover, and how robust they are. Results should help:
- System owners/managers to improve requirements to better align their assurance system to deforestation-free market requirements;
- Operators define how assurance systems can be used for due diligence-related risk mitigation, indicating whether system claims should be complemented by additional checks.
Structure of the ASEF
The ASEF comprises Criteria, Sub-criteria and Indicators to categorise and evaluate existing verification and certification systems. It covers different aspects of the system functions relevant to the EU Deforestation Regulation, including the efficiency and soundness of the system’s assurance mechanisms.
Evaluation requirements are divided into different sections corresponding to different sets of requirements:
A. Verified entity – Production
Criteria to evaluate the production requirements of verification and certification systems in relation to deforestation and legality. The objective is to analyse the scope of these systems regarding deforestation and requirements for legal production, and how well their normative requirements are defined.
B. Verified entity – Internal Control
These include Requirements for material control (B1), Quality and procedural requirements for Verified entities (B2) and Risk-based approaches to sourcing, trade and production (B3).
C. Assurance Provider
The aspects considered encompass General Assurance provider requirements (C1) and Assurance provider requirements for auditing and certification/verification (C.2).
D. Assurance System
These criteria are formulated to evaluate the overall management of the Assurance system and include: Transparency (D.1), Standard scope (D.2), Accreditation and oversight (D.3), Verification process (D.4).
Objectives of the consultation
The objective of this consultation is to gather comments and suggestions from stakeholders regarding the proposed ASEF Criteria and Indicators (C&I) and corresponding evaluation methodology. We aim to ensure that the ASEF is robust, relevant, and reflective of market requirements and international best practices on the sustainable production of agricultural commodities. Comments will be incorporated into the final version of the ASEF which will be published by FAO in the second half of 2025.
How to participate
To participate in this consultation, please submit comments directly through the consultation chat box, or via email at daniele.lenci@fao.org using the feedback form attached below.
While general comments on the objective, structure, and methodology of the ASEF are welcome, we would particularly appreciate specific feedback on the relevance, quality and scope of the ASEF C&I.
This consultation is open from 13 May to 6 June 2025. Although the comments submitted will be considered public, the identity of the commenter will remain confidential.
