NewsIFAD visits INBAR Headquarters
Meeting with one of INBAR’s founding partners reaffirms shared vision of a Global South that is sustainable and resilient.
On 12 July 2024, Prof. Jiang Zehui, Co-Chair of the INBAR Board of Trustees, welcomed Donal Brown, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and Associate Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to INBAR Headquarters in Beijing. The two parties held talks on enhancing collaboration and exchange across bamboo and rattan sectors.
Jiang expressed deep gratitude for IFAD’s strong support, generously funding project work in INBAR Member States over the past 30 years. She went on to highlight the high degree of overlap between INBAR and IFAD’s shared missions, such as the commitments for contributing to agricultural transformation, rural development and food security. In fact, IFAD played a key role in funding socio-economic research for bamboo and rattan projects when INBAR was only in its infancy. In total, IFAD has financed 12 INBAR projects for a total of USD 14 million in funding, benefiting over 20 Member States in Asia, Africa and Latin America. These projects have delivered tangible benefits to millions of people, especially women and youth, advancing sustainable economic and social development across beneficiary countries. They have also demonstrated the critical role of bamboo in land restoration, soil and water conservation, and ecosystem services, making valuable contributions to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Brown thanked INBAR for its warm reception, and congratulated INBAR on the many significant accomplishments that have been achieved under Jiang’s leadership. He mentioned that in 1997, with the financial support from IFAD, the Governments of China, Canada and the Netherlands, INBAR was officially established. IFAD is proud to be one of the founding institutions of INBAR. IFAD and INBAR have always maintained a friendly and long-term partnership, with both sides sharing a united vision for development and priority areas of work, focusing on agricultural and rural development as well as improving people’s livelihoods. IFAD supports the Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic (BASP) Initiative launched by INBAR and the Chinese Government, and the China-IFAD Special Fund for South-South and Trilateral Cooperation has approved the implementation of BASP-related projects in Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. IFAD and INBAR will sign a letter of intent to cooperate during the 27th session of the FAO Forestry Committee in Rome at the end of July. He finished by stating that IFAD looks forward to both sides strengthening their partnership, deepening exchanges and cooperation, and carrying out more practical projects that benefit livelihoods and agriculture in the Global South.
Despite the continuous increase in INBAR Member States with abundant bamboo resources and development potential, these countries generally lack a solid base for the bamboo industry as well as effective development and utilization of their bamboo and rattan resources. INBAR hopes to collaborate with donors and partners in mobilizing resources to help more countries tap into the potential of these resources, improving rural livelihoods and promoting sustainable development through partnering with like-minded organizations and implementing cross-country/region project work. INBAR strives to support IFAD in achieving its key strategic goals, as this will also better the livelihoods of the local people who reside in its Member States, ultimately advancing bamboo, rattan and the cause of sustainable development.
