ANNEX XSupplementary provisions
ANNEX X FUNCTIONS OF THE JOINT IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE In application of Article 19 of this Agreement, the Parties shall establish a monitoring and decision-making structure designated the ‘Joint Implementation Committee’ (JIC). The JIC shall be responsible for oversight and monitoring implementation of this Agreement. The JIC shall facilitate dialogue and exchanges of information on the functioning of this Agreement. In particular, the JIC shall: (a) as regards to the management of this Agreement: 1. publish a yearly report on implementation of this Agreement in accordance with Annex IX; 2. following the evaluation of the functioning of the legality assurance system (LAS) and based on the assessment criteria outlined in Annex VI, recommend the date on which the FLEGT licensing scheme will start operating; 3. review progress towards achieving the objectives and the time-bound action in this Agreement and matters relating to the implementation of this Agreement; 4. propose and/or take measures to improve the performance of this Agreement; 5. amend Annexes in accordance with Article 26 of this Agreement; 6. address matters of concern raised by either of the Parties and attempt to resolve any conflict that may arise in the course of the implementation of Article 10 of this Agreement; 7. address matters of concern raised by either of the Parties and attempt to resolve any conflict that may arise in the event of differences of opinion between the Parties in accordance with Article 24 of this Agreement; 8. publish reports and Aide-Mémoire making the workings of the JIC as transparent as possible; (b) as regards monitoring and assessment of this Agreement: 1. monitor overall progress on the implementation of this Agreement, including the functioning of the LAS; 2. conduct regular joint missions to review the effectiveness of this Agreement and its impact, based on the information available; 3. monitor and report on the market situation at regular intervals, commissioning studies as necessary and recommending action to be taken in response to market intelligence reports; 4. assess the social, economic and environmental impact of this Agreement, in accordance with relevant good practice and criteria to be agreed by the Parties and address problems raised by these reviews and assessments; 5. identify difficulties associated with implementation of this Agreement and suggest suitable measures to address them; (c) as regards the independent audit of this Agreement: 1. approve the independent auditor’s procedural manual in accordance with Annex V; 2. review reports issued by the independent auditor and any complaint about the operation of the FLEGT licensing scheme on the territory of either of the Parties; 3. review reports or complaints relating to the working of the independent auditor and agree appropriate action to be taken; 4. publish reports of the independent auditor, as provided for in Annexes V and IX; 5. monitor, when applicable, action taken to address the problems identified by the independent auditor; (d) as regards involving stakeholders in implementing and monitoring this Agreement: 1. provide recommendations on capacity-building needs for successful implementation of this Agreement and, if applicable, on the need to increase the capabilities of and participation by the private sector and civil society in monitoring compliance with laws and regulations relating to forest management in Liberia; 2. take appropriate measures to promote participation of concerned stakeholders in the implementation of this Agreement; 3. if necessary, establish working groups or other subsidiary bodies for areas of work requiring specific expertise or stakeholder perspectives.