'VERIFOR' is a project of the Forest Policy and Environment Programme. The project is being implemented in association with three international partners: CIFOR Central Africa office (Africa), RECOFTC (Asia), and CATIE (C/S America). It has a value of €2.4 million over four years (2005-9), funded by European Union Tropical Forest Budget Line, and the Governments of the Netherlands and Germany.

VERIFOR is concerned with the policy, institutional and legal challenges around the issue of illegal logging. It seeks to help tropical producer countries verify that their timber has been legally harvested. In line with the EC's FLEGT Action Plan, the focus is on the provision of equitable solutions that do not have adverse effects on the poor, and which support the principles of good governance and hence relates to the accountability work of Rights in Action. It addresses the institutional dimensions, and the ways in which national ownership can be built up in a manner compatible with international credibility and legitimacy (rather than, say, technical aids such as methods of log tracking). A central preoccupation is the policy arena and policy challenges. Thus, it goes beyond the issue of criminality and will make a contribution to poverty reduction through national-led processes.