Governance FSC AC / Geoff Howe FSC balances the needs of all forest stakeholders – environmental, social, and economic – through an open, member-led democracy. FSC AC / Geoff Howe Fundamentally Balanced Governance The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the pioneer of a multi-stakeholder governance system that gives equal weight to economic, environmental, and social chambers – an approach respected by many NGOs as the gold standard. FSC is governed by a global network of over 1,000 individuals and member organizations representing environmental, social, and economic perspectives. Members come from both the Global North and Global South and range from NGOs to forest management companies and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations. FSC is also the only forest certification system with an integrated accreditation programme that systematically verifies its certification bodies. For these reasons, FSC is widely regarded as the most credible and effective forest certification system. Learn more about how the FSC system works here. FSC / Geoff Howe The FSC General Assembly The FSC General Assembly is FSC’s premier decision-making body. Here members representing environmental, social, and economic interests, come together every three years to set the organization’s direction. FSC members discuss and vote on motions that may fundamentally affect the way FSC is run. To ensure that all voices are heard equally, each FSC chamber holds 33.3% of the vote on all FSC matters. Within each chamber, votes are weighted to ensure that North and South each hold 50 per cent of the vote. FSC General Assembly → FSC / Jonathan Perugia Our Global Leadership Led by Director General, Ms. Subhra Bhattacharjee, FSC’s global leadership includes an International Board of Directors, Policy and Standards Committee, and Permanent Indigenous Peoples Committee. Learn about our leadership →